How Should We Sacrifice to God?

Why did Paul write chapters 12-16 of Romans?

Why not stop after chapter 11’s marvelous conclusion:

O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! … From Him, through Him, and to Him are all things! To Him be the glory forever! (From Romans 11:33, 36)

Or why doesn’t he proceed directly to his plans to visit them, discussed in chapter 15?

Because in Scripture truth always leads to change.

  • We don’t learn biblical truth so we can become Bible answer men
  • Nor do we learn biblical truth to satisfy our intellectual curiosity – what is God like? What is man like?

God breaths out Scriptural Truth that is profitable “for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” – Why? – so “that the man of God may be” competent, perfected, fully “equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

The structure of Romans reflects this. Paul applies the truths of chapters 1-11 in chapters 12-15.

Romans 12:1 is thus the hinge in the letter:

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Let’s focus on four phrases from this verse:

1) Therefore, By the Mercies of God

“Therefore” indicates the application of the subsequent chapters is closely linked to the theology that Paul discusses earlier. We are to live our lives differently because we understand what God has done, because we have taken to heart Who He is. How we think is to affect how we act – every minute of every day.

Realize: This is not the case in many religions. There is theology on the one hand, and a moral code on the other. There is little or no link between them.

Note that of all the truth Paul has brought out so far in Romans, he emphasizes here God’s mercy. Romans has made clear: No one is righteous. All have sinned. The wages of sin is death. But God put forward Jesus as the atoning sacrifice by His death on the cross. So God declares His people righteous, He redeems His people as a gift – a gift that comes to us through faith in Jesus as our Savior.

Furthermore, Paul has said in chapter 11 that this is true for peoples as well as for individuals. God consigns all types of people to disobedience so that He might have mercy on all types of people (Romans 11:32).

So because of that great mercy, because of who God is and who you are, because He offers you salvation, indeed, Himself in Jesus, because nothing can separate you from the love He has for you in Christ Jesus, therefore respond, therefore live out Romans 12 through 15.

2) I Appeal to You, Brothers

Notice what Paul does at this point. He is an apostle. He has authority. He could say, “I command you.”

But instead he appeals to them to respond from the heart.

Why?

Because what he is going to tell them to do cannot be done in a perfunctory manner. It cannot be checked off as completed once you obey a rule or two.

He is going to tell them to do something that will characterize the rest of their lives – until they die.

So he says: “I exhort you. I encourage you. I appeal to you: Think of God’s mercy. Think of Who He is, who you are. Think of who Jesus is, what He has done on your behalf. Think of the promises of God – and respond! Act and, indeed, feel in a way consistent with these truths. Take these truths to heart and be changed by them.”

3) Present Your Bodies as a Sacrifice

Let’s unpack this appeal in four ways:

a) God Doesn’t Need Us

You may have heard people say: “We are God’s hands and feet to accomplish His work.”

What do you think of that?

God does indeed equip and use us to accomplish His purposes. He tells us to go and disciple all nations (Matthew 28:18-20); He tells us to let our light shine before men so they may see our good works and give Him glory (Matthew 5:16).

But you could infer from that statement that God needs us. We are to offer Him our bodies because He doesn’t have one.

No. God is not needy. He created us. He can create others. All our abilities, all our intelligence, every cell in our bodies is from Him. When we offer ourselves to Him, He gains nothing. We are the ones who gain.

b) Present as a Sacrifice

God instituted the sacrificial system to picture His work and our relationship to Him. That system includes several different types of offerings, including whole burnt offerings, grain or present offerings, sin offerings, and fellowship offerings (see Leviticus 1-7).

Christians are most familiar with the sin offering, rightly seeing Jesus as the fulfillment of that offering. An ancient Israelite would lay his hands on the living animal, identifying with it, and then kill it. Similarly, God transfers the sins of His people to Jesus on the cross. He became a sin offering for us.

But in Romans 12, Paul is not telling us to offer ourselves as a sin offering. The image instead is of other offerings – two of which we will consider here: the whole burnt offering and the grain or present offering.

The primary distinction of the whole burnt offering is that the entire animal is burned in the fire. The offeror or the priests eat at least part of every other offering.

The grain or present offering consists of their staple food, what the people effectively are made of.

Thus, considering the two together: I am to offer all I am to God – even all the details of my daily life.

Furthermore, note that both offerings are celebrations! The idea is not, “Oh, I’m giving up this expensive animal, or this food that we could use!” Rather, the idea is: “I belong wholly to Him. I am accepted by Him completely. Indeed, I am without blemish before Him. He has covered every stain, every sin in me. So like a spotless lamb, loved by Him, redeemed by Him, I can offer myself to Him – and He rejoices!”

So Paul’s exhortation here is not so much for commitment but for surrender, complete surrender.

That’s what Jesus did. In addition to becoming a sin offering, He is an example of complete surrender, offering Himself to God (see, for example, John 5:30).

c) Present Your Bodies

Why does Paul emphasize our bodies?

He clearly is not limiting the command to our bodies. Indeed, he speaks of the “renewal of your mind” in verse 2.

He emphasizes “body” because of the temptation in his day and ours to separate the body from the mind or soul, to think of our relationship to God as solely interior, and day to day life in the body as separate, even relatively unimportant.

So Paul is saying: “Present your entire person to God as a sacrifice – including your body” (see also 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

This has important implications for the way we live. That passage from 1 Corinthians emphasizes how we live sexually. But there are additional implications for how we eat, how we exercise, and, indeed, what we do with our bodies throughout the day.

One preacher summarizes this truth: “I must not regard even my body as my private property.”

Don’t we all tend to do that? Doesn’t our culture encourage us to think that way?

We are to offer our bodies to God – they are not our private property.

d) What Type of Sacrifice

Paul uses three adjectives to describe the sacrifice:

Living:

The point here is not that the Old Testament sacrifices were dead – they were alive when they were offered! Rather the point is that this is not a one-time event, a one-time offering and then we die. We are to offer this sacrifice day after day, continually – our entire life is an offering to God.

Holy:

Old Testament sacrifices had to be perfect, without blemish. We are stained, but as we noted we become unblemished because of Jesus’ work. So our offering of our bodies is holy.

Acceptable or Well-Pleasing

“Acceptable” is problematic here. Imagine as a student you work hard on an essay for English class. You’re pleased with the final version and you eagerly await your teacher’s response. When you get it back, the teacher has written across the top, “This is acceptable.”

How do you feel? Not happy! That sounds like your essay is barely good enough. You want the teacher to write, “Excellent!” or “I’m quite pleased with this!”

The Greek word means much more than “acceptable” in that sense. Thus some translations render it “pleasing.”

God is indeed well-pleased with our offering ourselves to Him in this way. He is delighted when we see Jesus as our Redeemer, and see ourselves as loved and accepted in Christ, and thus following Him with joy all our lives.

4) This is Worship, This is Life                   

Paul concludes the verse by emphasizing that our continually offering ourselves as a sacrifice to God is our “spiritual worship.”

The phrase is rather difficult to translate. The word translated “spiritual” in the ESV can mean “logical, rational, inner, genuine.” Thus the NET translates it “reasonable service.” One commentator suggests rendering the phrase, “which is the logical thing to do.”

So let’s try to tie together the living sacrifice idea with insights from this phrase. We’ll consider three negatives and then three positives:

First, as we’ve said, our offering ourselves to God is not an occasional or even regular act. We are to offer ourselves continually, every minute of every day.

Second, our offering ourselves to God is not an act of perfunctory obedience, just going through the motions. It must be inner as well as outer.

Third, our offering ourselves is thus not simply obedience to a set of rules, a set of behaviors to avoid.

Instead, fourth, our offering ourselves is rational, logical, reasonable, genuine. That offering is the right response to our understanding of His mercies!

Fifth, this offering is spiritual. Remember what Jesus said to the woman at the well: “True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth” (John 4:23).

Finally, this offering of ourselves to Him is indeed worship. Worship is acting, thinking, and feeling in a way that reflects the glory of God. And the inner dynamic of worship is valuing Jesus far above all earthly goals, attainments, joys, and accomplishments.

Therefore, I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God: Present your bodies to Him as a sacrifice – living, holy, well-pleasing to God. This is only logical. This is the way you worship Him: Seeing your entire life as His, and then living that out – to your great joy.

Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee….
Take my will, and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine….
Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for Thee. (Frances Havergal, 1874)

[This devotion is shortened and edited from a sermon on Romans 12:1 preached January 7, 2018. You can listen to the audio of that sermon via this link. The quote from “one preacher” is from Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans: Exposition of Chapter 12: Christian Conduct (Banner of Truth Trust, 2000), p. 65.]

What Do You Need to Have Peace?

[This Sunday, I plan to preach on Psalms 129, 130 and 131. In 2009 I preached on Psalm 131 as part of a series entitled “The Gospel for Two-Year-Olds – Like You!” This devotion is a shortened form of the second sermon in that series, preached August 30, 2009. You can listen to that sermon via this link – Coty]

What do you need in order to have peace?

That is, what do you need in order to rest completely?

  • A well-paying job, in your preferred field, with a good boss?
  • Good grades, a respected degree?
  • A sense of accomplishment, of usefulness, of being needed?
  • A loving spouse, with a satisfying sex life?
  • Happy and obedient children?
  • A certain level of income – and a house, a good car, nice clothes?
  • Respect from others? Love?

Or to put it another way: How would you complete this sentence: “I would be content if I just had _____”

In Psalm 131, David gives a beautiful picture of the peace we can have with God:

O LORD, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and forevermore.

David Powlison says this psalm is “show-and-tell for how to become peaceful inside,” while Charles Spurgeon notes, “It is one of the shortest Psalms to read, but one of the longest to learn.” So let’s begin to learn how to relax and rest in God like a well-fed two-year-old with her mother.

 

The Psalmist at Peace

David describes his peaceful condition through three negative statements:

  • His heart is not lifted up
  • His eyes are not raised too high
  • He does not focus on what is beyond him.

In Hebrew, the word “heart” refers to the entire inner being: Emotions, intellect, and will. So the first statement refers to what David is thinking of himself. He does not exalt himself.

The second statement refers to where I think I am going: My plans, goals, ambitions, desires, worries, pressures, and fears. In effect, he is saying: “I have no plans to exalt myself in the future, for I have no need to prove myself.”

These first two statements together describe a man who is humble, not self-centered.

What do these have to do with peace?

When you are not at peace, you are not humble. You are saying, “My status is more important than anything else. No matter who God is, no matter what promises He may have made, I cannot have peace unless I have X.”

Two-year-olds are like this, aren’t they? He sees cookies just out of the oven cooling on the counter, and asks for one. When told no, they are for later, he becomes upset and declares, “I need a cookie!” Regardless of how loving and giving his parents might be, he has no peace because he doesn’t have a cookie.

In effect, he is saying to his parents, “You say you provide, but you’re not giving me this cookie. I can’t be happy without it! So you must not be loving parents! If you really loved me you would give me what I want!”

Contrast that with David’s attitude. He is saying, “I’m not magnifying my perception of needs, my plans, my schemes. I am not worried about my present state or my future. I am not driven by what other people think of me now, or what they will think of me in future. I am at peace, resting on God.”

In David’s third negative statement, he declares that he does not occupy himself or walk around in “things too great and too marvelous for me.” This too is a statement of humility. He admits there is much that is beyond his ability to understand – that God knows, and he does not. The point is not, “Don’t think about such things!” David was king! He certainly was concerned about perplexing events in his country. But he did not say, “I cannot have peace unless I know the answer to these questions!” We can be concerned, we can weep with those who weep, and still have peace, still be at rest, trusting in the One Who knows all things, Who controls all things. We can be like a two-year-old who experiences a deep sorrow – yet rests in his loving parent’s arms. He can’t understand – and doesn’t have to.

How do we – as two-year-olds before God – come to that state?

 

How to Become Peaceful

After the three negative statements in verse 1, David makes a positive statement in verse 2:

But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.

Note that David is active, not passive. As the NAS renders the verse, ”Surely I have composed and quieted my soul.” He has worked to bring about this state.

What has he done? The first verb literally means “made level,” while the second connotes being still, being at rest. Then note that “soul” in Hebrew refers not to the immortal or immaterial part of you, but more to the part of your being that has desires and passions.

So David says here: “I have taken initiative. I have made level my passions and desires. These things I want do not control me. I am tempted to let my passions and desires run my life, not to have peace unless they are fulfilled. But I have resisted those temptations.”

Note that he is not saying, “I have stifled all desire. I am hardened to whatever happens. I have no more passions.” Scripture never commends that attitude. We are to rejoice, to love, to mourn, to weep.

Rather, what David has done is to level out those desires, to knock them down to size, to quiet their cries and to put them in their proper place.

David then compares this state to the two-year-old on his mother’s lap. While the word translated “weaned” can mean a child who no longer nurses, it can also mean a child who has just finished nursing. I think that’s the image here. The child has nursed. She has all she needs. She has satisfied her hunger. She feels safe and secure and loved on her mother’s breast. She is completely at peace.

This is the picture of all who are in Jesus before God – loved, provisioned, protected, peaceful. For He promises us His love (1 John 3:1). He promises us protection (2 Timothy 4:18). He promises us the food and clothing we need to fulfill His purposes (Matthew 6:31-33). And He promises us His constant presence (Hebrews 13:5).

So we can rest peacefully on Him. Yes, we will be perplexed at times; we will weep at times; we will often have deep concerns. But we don’t live lives dominated by those concerns. We still and quiet our souls; we make level our passions; we rest in His love, in His provision.

Therefore we won’t say, “I can only have peace if I have _____!” We have Him. We have all that we need.

 

The Source of Peace

In the first two verses, David does not make explicit the source of his contentment. He does that in the final verse:

O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and forevermore.

Here David calls on all God’s people to do what he has done. Everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus, everyone who is part of God’s holy nation (1 Peter 2:9) must hope in the Lord!

This exhortation is both what we must do and why we can rest.

That little child hopes in his mother and father. He doesn’t understand much about what is going on, but he trusts them. He isn’t able to provide for himself, but he believes they will provide. He sees, perhaps, dangers in the world, but he trusts their protection.

Just so with us before God.

And note that this is to go on forevermore! We never outgrow sitting on that restful lap!

How do we put this into practice? What is the spiritual dynamic at play here?

When we are tempted to fret, to worry, to lack peace, we are to calm and quiet our souls by reminding ourselves of God’s character, of His plan of redemption, and of His promises: He promises to work all things together for our good and His glory; He promises to redeem all of creation, creating a new heavens and new earth; He promises to right every wrong, to wipe away every tear; He promises to make us like Jesus – forever and ever.

Consider in particular the overarching promise of Luke 12:32. Jesus says,

Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

This is what God wants to do! If you are in Christ, He wants to give you His kingdom!  He wants to bring you into His presence. He wants to shower you with His love.  He wants you to be His precious child, His heir. He wants to grant you a new body in the new heavens and new earth. He wants to use you for His glory, so that you play a role in the greatest accomplishment of all time.

And remember: Whatever God pleases, He does (Psalm 135:6). Nothing can stop Him.

 

So how can you rest? What do you need in order to have peace?

We can make long lists of things we think we need. We can allow ourselves to get all worked up and upset and fretful because of what we lack.

But really there is only one thing we need.

What we need is Jesus – and nothing else.

Every other good in this life – everything we lack, everything we think we need – fundamentally Is not valuable in and of itself. Rather: if received, it is most valuable because it is a token of love from the One who loves us more than we can imagine. And if God withholds it from us – then He has something better. Even that withholding – painful as it may be – is for our good.

So away with all thoughts of, “I would be happy if …” or “I need answers to life’s questions before I can be at peace.”

The only question that matters is: Do you have Jesus?

Apart from Him – you cannot trust any of His promises. You cannot rest on God’s lap. You cannot know His love. For we all deserve punishment (Psalm 130:3). We need someone to pay the penalty for us. We need someone to stand in our place.

Those who are in Jesus have peace with God because He took on that penalty at the Cross (Romans 5:1, 8).

So believe in Him. Trust Him.

He is the one thing you need for peace. Not a house. Not a job. Not fulfillment. Not recognition. Not status. Not a spouse or sex or children.

Having Jesus: Fight the fight to believe. Remind yourself of Who God is. Meditate on His promises. And know: If you have Jesus, peace is yours. Rest in Him.

“O Israel: Hope in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore.”

Life in God’s Family: The Basis and Nature of the Ten Commandments

How would you describe an ideal family?

Is it a family in which the children always obey every rule the parents make?

We know that is not the case. Indeed, outward obedience to parents can co-exist with deep anger and resentment, as displayed by the older son in Luke 15.

Instead, love and trust characterize the ideal family. There is obedience to parents, yes – but that obedience flows out of love, out of trust, out of a feeling of security and acceptance.

Just so in the family of God. God’s family members surely obey – but not with the outward, formal obedience of the Pharisees. Their obedience instead is joyful and willing, flowing from confidence in the loving character of God.

Consider the Ten Commandments in this regard. These commandments summarize God’s torah, His instructions to His people. Many misunderstand both the nature and implications of these commandments. So let’s examine, first of all, the basis and nature of the Ten Commandments. From these we’ll draw out four implications for all the Commandments. In future devotions we’ll consider the Commandments one by one.

The Basis of the Ten Commandments: Relationship with God

The people of Israel do not come into a relationship with God by obeying the Ten Commandments; they are already in a relationship with Him when He speaks the Commandments.

  • When Moses first approaches Pharaoh, God says, “Israel is my firstborn son” (Exodus 4:22).
  • God told Moses at the burning bush that the people would worship Him at Sinai (Exodus 3:12).
  • God reiterates that plan multiple times in words spoken to Pharaoh (Exodus 4:23, 5:1, 5:3, 8:1, 8:20, 9:1, 9:13, 10:3).
  • When they first arrive at Sinai, God says, “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself” (Exodus 19:4, emphasis added).
  • Immediately prior to speaking the Commandments, God says, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Exodus 20:2, emphasis added).

So the Israelites’ relationship with God precedes the giving of the Law. They enter into a relationship with God through His love, by His grace (Deuteronomy 7:6-8).

Furthermore, they do not remain in relationship with God through keeping the Law. In Exodus 32, they explicitly break the Commandments. God’s judgment falls on a small percentage, but He reveals Himself as “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, … forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin” (Exodus 34:6-7).

Now, He goes on to say He “will by no means leave the guilty unpunished” (Exodus 34:7 NIV) – He is the God of both grace and justice. We only understand fully how God’s grace and justice both hold when we see Jesus’ death on the cross.

But our point for today is this: Neither the Israelites nor we today enter into a relationship with God through obedience to the Law. Neither the Israelites nor we today remain in a relationship with God through obedience to the Law. We enter into a relationship with Him by grace through faith. We remain in that relationship by grace through faith.

 

The Nature of the Ten Commandments: Life in God’s Family

When we hear the word “law,” we normally think of some set of restrictions on our behavior. A sign on I-485 says that there is a law prohibiting you from driving faster than 70mph. If you see a police car in your rearview mirror, you will restrict your driving speed. You will not drive 80mph.

But God’s Law is not fundamentally a set of restrictions on our behavior. Instead, God’s Law fundamentally is a revelation of His character. Through the Law, He tells us what He loves and what He hates: “I the LORD love justice; I hate robbery and wrong” (Isaiah 61:8). God in His holy essence hates and despises sin, He despises evil; in His essence, he loves righteousness and justice.

 

Now, connect this with the idea of God’s people being His family. When we had six little children running around the house needing correction, we would sometimes say, “We’re Pinckneys – we don’t act that way.” We then explained how we behave.

That’s similar to what Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount: “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).

Thus, when God tells us to obey His Law, He is saying, “Become like Me! I have brought you to Myself! You are part of my intimate family! This is your identity; this is who you are. So act like it’s true! Act like Me!”

So God does not give us the Ten Commandments, saying, “Obey these and you will be in My family.” Nor does He say, “Obey these in order to remain in My family.” Instead, He says to the Israelites – and to us! – “You are in the family. And this is how those in my family live. This is how they reflect my character.”

 

Four Implications for Understanding the Ten Commandments

a) The Ten Commandments are positive, not only negative

We don’t become like God simply by avoiding certain actions – we must change positively!

For example, consider the seventh commandment: “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14). Many never commit the physical act of adultery, but lust after others. Jesus tells us these too break the commandment (Matthew 5:28). But we can’t just modify the commandment to include a prohibition of lust! Rather, the Commandment exhorts us to take on the character of God. We positively are to honor marriage, to build up own, to assist others to strengthen their marriages, all to the glory of God.

So, in general, each commandment forbids some attitudes and behaviors while commending others.

b) No one will succeed in fully taking on the character of God

Those at the moment outside God’s family are “dead in trespasses and sin” (Ephesians 2:1). God graciously brings the redeemed into His family, making us “alive together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:5). He grants us His Spirit, enabling us to “put to death the deeds of the body” (Romans 8:13), providing a way of escape from temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13) and producing in us Christlike character (Galatians 5:22-23). Yet we all fail; “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).

The Day is coming after Jesus returns when He does away with sin forever. We will be like Him, seeing Him as He is (1 John 3:2). But until that Day, we will stumble and fall. However much we grow – and we should grow! – we will never be perfect as our heavenly Father.

c) Jesus fully displayed the character of God

Jesus said He came to fulfill the Law (Matthew 5:17) – and He did. He showed us what God is like: “Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). He loved God with all His heart, soul, mind, and strength every minute of every day. He loved every person He encountered as He loved Himself.

d) How then can we be like God? Though union with Jesus!

When we come to God by grace through faith in Jesus, God not only saves us from our sins, wiping out the negatives from our accounts; He also credits us with the righteousness of Jesus – in Him we become “the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). His active obedience to the entirety of the Law is credited to us.

 

Thus, the Ten Commandments do not constitute a law code for ancient Israel (in our contemporary sense of law code). Rather they are a revelation of the character of God, so that those in His family might know Him better and become like Him by His grace. And that happens only via Jesus.

So salvation is not primarily about saving us from hell – it is that, but also much more. Salvation is primarily about being in God’s family, credited with Jesus’ righteousness, transformed to become like Him – partially in this life, completely in the next.

(This devotion is based on the first half of a sermon on Exodus 20:1-3 preached May 9, 2010, “Having Been Saved By Grace, Do You Put God First?” The audio is available here. An earlier blog post covering some of the same material is here.)

Christmas in Cameroon, 2001

[The Pinckney family spent the 2001/2002 academic year in Ndu, Cameroon at the Cameroon Baptist Theological Seminary. Though near the equator, Ndu is at 6600′ of elevation, so is temperate and, at this season, quite dry. This is a lightly edited version of the letter we sent to our supporters on Christmas Eve, 2001. Near the close of the letter, I wrote: “We don’t know where we might be next Christmas.” By God’s providence, we ended up here – though on Christmas Day 2002 DGCC did not yet have a name – Coty]

Dear Friends and supporters:

Merry Christmas from Ndu! Though we know you won’t receive this until after Christmas, we want to share with you some new Christmas lyrics, along with some events from yesterday.

First of all, you must understand that for the last few weeks, when the power has been on we’ve heard Christmas songs blaring from some of the shops in town, including ones that seem singularly inappropriate to Cameroon, such as “Jingle Bells” and “Silver Bells.” To the tune of the latter, Beth, Erin, and Jonathan have written lyrics that fit our situation perfectly (note that we have had no measurable rainfall for 47 days; also note that any of the eight of us can be referred to as “white man”):

Dusty footpaths, busy market, full of holiday cheer,
In the air there’s a big cloud of red dust,
People shouting to the white man, “Come and greet me, my friend!”
And on every street corner you see:
Clouds of Dust, clouds of dust,
It’s Christmastime in Ndu!
Cough and sneeze in the breeze,
Soon it will be Christmas Day.

Sunday, December 23, 2001, 5:30 AM. The alarm goes off. I pry open my eyes, to little effect, having been awake for much of the time between 3:00 and 4:30, trying to get comfortable on our old foam mattress. The air feels chilly. “Maybe I can pray in bed instead,” I think, and begin to ask God to open my mouth later in the morning at Mbipgo, a church about 5 miles away. I pray through the Scripture passages that will be used, and the sermon outline . . . Beep-beep-beep-beep! The 5:45 alarm goes off, waking me again. “Up this time; no more lounging in bed,” I tell myself. I need a shower, but we have had no running water since Saturday afternoon; apparently there is an electrical problem with the school’s water pump. So, using water our younger boys carried up from the spring yesterday evening, I fill two tea kettles and put them on the stove. While they heat up, I return to my neglected prayers.

By 7:15, after washing my hair in the sink and grabbing a bite to eat, I’m ready to go, along with Beth and the three youngest boys. Victor Ndusho, the student who invited us to this, his home church, arrives, so I walk down the hill to get [fellow missionary] Gary Stephens’ car. Victor and I had planned to walk to Mbipgo, but given that the younger boys wanted to accompany us, and given the knee pain I’ve had the last few days, driving seemed a better option. But Gary’s 12-year-old Pajero has acted up some of late, and it chooses this morning to act up again. At first, turning the key has no impact on the electrical system. I open the hood, jiggle the battery wires, and try again – the starter turns, but then the car dies. No problem, it always acts this way when cold. But 15 minutes later, the engine has never turned over, and the battery is now dead. Furthermore, the car is pointing downhill, up against a fence. To push start it, we’ll have to push it uphill quite a ways.

I return home and declare that Victor and I will have to walk; the boys will have to remain at CBTS. Seven-year-old Joel cries, he is so looking forward to going. Victor also really wants to take the vehicle, so that his wife and 2-week-old baby – who has not yet been to his grandparents’ – can accompany him. Victor asks, “Can we try pushing it?” I answer, rather gruffly, “It will take at least 5 men to push it up the hill.” Victor gathers 7 within 5 minutes – most of whom have walked that way to get water. On our second try, the car starts and we are off.

The road is rough but passable, and we arrive at the church in about 25 minutes. Upon pulling up, I have a sense of déjà vu; but how could I have been here before? Then Beth realizes that this church is in a video we saw in the US, filmed on a short term trip last year; the many steps and strong stone structure make it easily identifiable. I recall that in that video, the missionary states the service lasted 3 hours . . .

I am able to spend some time in prayer before the service, asking God to center my thoughts on Him, and to put the drive and the stresses of the morning behind me. Sitting in front, looking out at the congregation of only 50 as the service opens (it will swell to over 300 an hour later), I begin to prepare to preach using John Piper’s acronym APTAT: Acknowledge my inability to have any impact on these people apart from the work of the Holy Spirit; Pray that God would enable me to fulfill His commands, such as those in 1 Timothy 4:13-15; Trust God to fulfill His promises, particularly this morning the promise found in 1 Timothy 4:16; then Act. Afterwards, I will Thank God for answering my prayers. I feel ready to preach.

The service moves right along for a while, but the third choir number ends up being a youth drama. This lasts almost 25 minutes . . . and, while the heavy pidgin is hard to understand, as far as I can tell the drama is completely moralistic, without spiritual content. “Lord, prepare the hearts of your people despite this drama; do not let me be discouraged or disheartened.”

Finally it’s time to preach, more than 2 hours after the service began. Some are getting sleepy. Victor is not experienced at translating, and it takes a while for us to hit a rhythm. I wonder if illustrations are understood. But by the end, as we realize that the baby in the manger is also the final judge, as the contrast is drawn between those who hope in God and those who, through unbelief, are cast into the lake of fire, there is rapt attention – even from many who had been sleepy-eyed earlier. I finish with prayer, sit, and complete APTAT.

After the service, we are fed a meal and make our way down to Victor’s parents’ compound. Walking through the coffee and bananas, I almost feel like it’s ten years earlier, and I’m on the southern slopes of Kilimanjaro: red coffee berries shining in the light that makes its way through the upper canopy; coffee drying on mats around the houses; fruit – particularly oranges and lemons – in abundance. It’s amazing what a difference of 1500’ in elevation makes! Victor’s parents’ are delighted to see us, and Joel in particular loves this compound, asking “Can we come back and stay a long time?” For me, this compound is moving also, as it’s so much closer than Ndu to what comes to my mind when I think “Africa”.

We drive home, laden with oranges, lemons, sugarcane, and tree tomatoes generously given to us. I barely have time to wash up – with water from the barrel; the pump still is not operating – and finish up a couple of emails just before the 4PM radio time slot. On the way back, a knowledgeable friend says the electricians have looked at the water pump, and the prospects are not hopeful; there is almost no chance of water before the 26th, and we may have to haul it from the spring for weeks. I wonder how long the boys will be able to keep up their enthusiasm for this task . . .

About 6:30, as I try to complete the daily reading from the Greek New Testament necessary to meet my year-end goal, the power goes off. Sigh. No water and no electricity. We light candles, then Beth calls out, “Joel’s bath water is warm – could you please wash him?” “Nine more verses, and I’ll do it!” “Can you do it now? I’m trying to get supper ready.” “Nine more verses, and I’ll do it!” Happily, these last few verses are easy: with “Ἡ χάρις τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ μετὰ τοῦ πνεύματος ὑμῶν” (Philemon 1:25), I’m done. As I’m about to get up from the desk, the computer beeps at me – the power is back on!

Joel is standing naked in the tub, a bucket of warm water next to him. He asks, “Can we set a speed record for washing my hair?” We come close to a record, he looks as clean as he ever gets around here (meaning, not particularly so), and we two finish in time for Joel to get his hands dirty again before dinner.

Beth sends him back to the bathroom to wash his hands; Joel without thinking turns on the faucet. Seeing him do this, Beth begins, “There’s no running water, Joel; you’ll have to get it from the bucket.” But water is coming out of the tap! The pump must be fixed!

We sit down to a dinner of rice and potato curry with renewed thankfulness not only for the food, but also for running water, for electricity, for Mbipgo, indeed, for this whole year in Cameroon which God has worked out so marvelously for us. Afterwards, as we prepare to read a Christmas story and drink hot chocolate, Beth says, “Let’s go caroling!” So for the next hour we make the rounds of faculty houses and the women’s dormitory, introducing many of our Cameroonian friends to this wonderful tradition. All eight of us participate wholeheartedly; one neighbor says, “When I heard you singing, I thought it was a whole choir!” Our friends are greatly blessed, and so are we.

As we’re walking back, preparatory to finally drinking that hot chocolate, Jonathan quotes one of our favorite Christmas stories, “A Full House,” by Madeline L’Engle: “Just a typical Christmas Eve at the Austins’.” So it has been: a “typical” December 23rd with the Pinckneys. Last year at this time we had not even an inkling that we would be here this Christmas; now, we don’t know where we might be next Christmas. But we know that we are and will be in God’s hands, that wherever we are, we will be praising Him in song once again.

Come, Desire of nations come,
Fix in us Thy humble home;
Rise, the Woman’s conquering Seed,
Bruise in us the Serpent’s head.
Adam’s likeness now efface:
Stamp Thine image in its place;
Second Adam, from above,
Reinstate us in thy love.
”Hark!” the herald angels sing,
”Glory to the Newborn King!”

Once again, our love goes out to each one of you. May you continue to rejoice in the God of all comfort this season, and may the New Year bring you deeper and deeper into His love.

Coty

Why We Have Tongues: Carols Across the Centuries

Christmas carols! We hear the tunes and our minds conjure up visions of decorated trees, family gatherings, piles of presents. We recall the eager anticipation of Christmas Day we experienced as children, and try to help the children around us to feel the same.

So carols serve to tie generations together. Many of the songs we’ll sing on Sundays this month were sung in my childhood church fifty years ago; were sung in my mother’s childhood church eighty years ago; were sung in her mother’s church 120 years ago; and on back through the decades and centuries. Music and lyrics bind Christians together across time.

Scripture tells us Christians of every time, from every place, of every culture form one Body – we are members one of another. Music reminds us of that truth.

Thus, we aim at DGCC to include music and lyrics both old and new – and we include the year the lyrics were written in the bulletin. These dates remind us: we are part of that One Church that the Spirit is building and perfecting, from every tribe and tongue and nation, from every decade and century and millennium.

So praise God for familiar carols that have been sung regularly for centuries!

But our unity with believers from earlier eras can also prompt us to discover carols that have dropped out of modern hymnals, that are almost never sung today. By digging into the past, we delight that much more in our common worship with brothers and sisters from earlier eras.

Here is a carol you probably have never heard sung: Shepherds Rejoice, by one of the earliest English hymn writers, Isaac Watts. I came across these three-hundred-year-old lyrics in the late 90s, and then was delighted to find that a tune commonly used for this carol right after the American Revolution was composed by William Billings, perhaps the greatest early American composer.

The lyrics are below. You can listen to the first and last stanzas sung to Billings’ tune via this link.

The first two stanzas are spoken by the angel to the shepherds, proclaiming the coming of the King of kings – but this king sits on a humble throne. So the angel invites these humble shepherds to kiss the Son (echoing Psalm 2:12).

The whole company of angels then gives glory to God in the third stanza.

In the fourth stanza, Isaac Watts addresses us: Angels are praising God in song – shouldn’t we men do the same? He then writes one of the greatest lines in all hymnody:

O may we lose these useless tongues
When they forget to praise!

God created us for His glory. He gave us tongues so that we might praise and glorify Him – including in speech, in song, in counsel, and in comfort.

So do so this season! Join Christians across the centuries by praising Him with old carols! And express our culture’s different forms of praise by singing new carols! And then also: praise Him through this new old carol from centuries past, that reminds us why we have tongues.

‘Shepherds, rejoice! lift up your eyes
And send your fears away;
News from the region of the skies:
Salvation’s born today!
Jesus, the God whom angels fear,
Comes down to dwell with you;
Today he makes his entrance here,
But not as monarchs do.

‘No gold, nor purple swaddling bands,
Nor royal shining things;
A manger for his cradle stands,
And holds the King of kings.
Go, shepherds, where the Infant lies,
And see his humble throne;
With tears of joy in all your eyes,
Go, shepherds, kiss the Son.’

Thus Gabriel sang, and straight around
The heavenly armies throng;
They tune their harps to lofty sound
And thus conclude the song:
‘Glory to God that reigns above,
Let peace surround the earth;
Mortals shall know their Maker’s love
At their Redeemer’s birth.’

Lord! and shall angels have their songs
And men no tunes to raise?
O may we lose these useless tongues
When they forget to praise!
‘Glory to God that reigns above,
That pitied us forlorn!’
We join to sing our Maker’s love,
For there’s a Saviour born.

Giving Thanks: An Example

[What role does giving thanks have in your life? What role should it have? Over 160 verses in Scripture refer to thanks.  Here is a list of most of them, which I commend for your meditation. Consider these few:

  • Psalm 50:23 The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me.
  • Ephesians 5:18, 20: Be filled with the Spirit . . . giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
  • Colossians 2:6-7   Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
  • 1 Thessalonians 5:18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (audio of 2022 sermon on this text)

Consider also this quip from G.K. Chesterton: “When we were children we were grateful to those who filled our stockings at Christmas time. Why are we not grateful to God for filling our stockings with legs?”

For a period of time, every Monday Beth disciplined herself to record on her former blog items of thanksgiving.  Here is an excerpt from one of those entries from 2010. She reflects on Rachel’s example of a thankful heart, to which we would all do well to pay attention. Consider Beth’s words – and as we celebrate Thanksgiving may we express such thanks! – Coty]

She had major surgery and needed a home in which to recover.  In the beginning, she needed someone to help change incision dressings, prepare healing meals, encourage and comfort through post surgery pain and uncertainty.  She needed an arm to lean on while she slowly climbed the steps and sometimes she needed quiet music, candlelight, and foot rubs.  For three weeks, Rachel stayed here.

While she was in my home, I observed something very special.  Rachel wrote thank you notes. Prodigiously.  From the first week to the last, she wrote them.  In pain and groggy from meds, she wrote them.  In bed, she wrote them.  At the warm, sunny end of the kitchen table, she wrote them.

The EMT’s who arrived in the ambulance and took her to the hospital received notes and cookies.  She was in so much pain when they attended her that night that she had no recollection of who they were, but she called the fire station and got their names from the ambulance log and wrote notes to them.

Her nurses received notes.  She asked at the desk on her hospital floor for all their names and wrote them each a note.

Her doctor and physician’s assistant received notes.  The day of her first follow up appointment, she hand delivered those notes.  The PA smiled broadly, almost dancing upon receiving the envelope, and exclaimed, “This is my first thank you note from a patient!”

When she left our home, everyone here, Coty, Thomas, Joel and I, all received individual handwritten notes.

Her habit of handwritten gratitude puts me to shame and I know I am not alone.  I had a conversation with a friend at church today who admitted that, like me, she often fails to convey her thanks with a handwritten note.

Oh, we mean to do it.  We put “write thank you notes” on our to-do list.  We may even buy thank you cards and stamps.  But we procrastinate, thinking we are too busy at the moment, and time passes.  Finally, so much time passes that we feel embarrassed to write, our failure highlighted by our tardiness.  Perhaps we try to justify our actions by telling ourselves that, well, we said thank you.  They didn’t really expect a note, now, did they?

That EMT certainly didn’t expect a note.  Neither did the PA or the surgeon.  And how often do you think the nurses who measure the urine in the basin or change the colostomy bag get a hand-written note from a grateful patient?

Was that note writing obligatory?  Just the compulsory penning of thanks by a dutiful daughter whose mother taught her well?  Or worse, done because she thought she’d get even better care next time if her care givers got a note this time?  No, no, no!

That note writing was the expression of a heart so filled with thankfulness that it spilled out grateful words across countless little cards.  No detail was forgotten.  No small act of care or kindness done for her was omitted from her written outpouring of thanksgiving.

I am convicted – of my ingratitude, of my procrastination, of the self-centered ways in which I order that aforementioned to-do list to reflect my priorities instead of ordering it according to this admonition….

“in humility, count others more significant than yourselves.” (Philippians 2:3)

To fail to give thanks is to set myself above the giver as though I was fully deserving of every gift, as though it were my due.  This dishonors, by failing to recognize and appreciate, the sacrifice and attention of the giver.  If I don’t take the time to say thank you, I have forgotten the giver and thought only of the gift and of myself.

I do this to God and I to it to people.  So very often.

My dear friend’s illness and the way in which she has responded to it has touched many lives.  It has touched mine by giving me the opportunity to observe at close range one who excels in thankfulness.  Rachel’s is an example to follow.  I start by thanking you, Father God, for bringing her, for three precious weeks, into my home.

And more gifts…

  • deepened friendship
  • observation of the generosity of the body of Christ
  • little victories (for Rachel) over new daily tasks
  • children’s voices singing the names of God
  • Kristi’s skillful directing
  • potluck tables filled with good food
  • laughter and fellowship
  • people who pitch in, dry dishes, mop floors, clean bathrooms . . .
  • a helpful little book
  • quiet moments in a busy month

This practice of listing thanks early in the week, of publicly logging thanksgiving for abundant gifts is a marker in my week.  There is another practice that needs to become just as regular – writing my thanks on paper and sending it to those whose generosity graces my life.  There are so many I need to thank.  It’s time to get started.

Humility Comes Before Honor

Does humility come before honor? Proverbs 15:33 and 18:12 tell us it does. But look around. Is that what you see?

Many politicians, athletes, entertainers, business leaders, academics – and even pastors – show little sign of humility. Instead, they exalt themselves, making sure everyone knows how great they are, and how inferior others are (especially those they see as competitors).

And if we’re honest, we must admit that we too are tempted to self-exaltation. This displays itself:

  • When we twist a story to make ourselves look better
  • When we mishandle a responsibility and try to cover up what happened
  • When we work harder to improve our external appearance than our internal character
  • When we respond to someone else’s success by speaking of our even greater success.

Furthermore, self-exaltation often seems to work. Others may well believe my twisted story that makes me look good. Self-promoting politicians often win elections.

Sure, we sometimes see the proud disgraced, the boaster brought low. But not always. Indeed, from our perspective, not in most cases.

So what is Scripture saying?

Consider Proverbs 15:33 in its entirety:

The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor. (ESV)

The two halves of the verse are in parallel: Humility comes before honor as the fear of the Lord comes before wisdom. Furthermore, humility and the fear of the Lord go together. When we see and acknowledge how great God is and how small we are, we necessarily humble ourselves before Him. This humbling is one part of wisdom – and one necessary step to honor from God.

Seen in this light, the honor mentioned here is not honor from men. While humility on occasion will lead to honor from men, oftentimes it will not. But a humility tied to the fear of the Lord – a humility that bows before Him, that admits sinfulness and rebellion, that delights in Jesus as Lord, Savior, and Treasure – that humility always leads to honor from God.

Scripture emphasizes this truth again and again:

  • Isaiah: “The haughty looks of man shall be brought low, and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled, and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.” (Isaiah 2:11 and 17)
  • A psalmist: “Be not afraid when a man becomes rich, when the glory of his house increases. For when he dies he will carry nothing away; his glory will not go down after him. For though, while he lives, he counts himself blessed– and though you get praise when you do well for yourself– his soul will go to the generation of his fathers, who will never again see light. Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.” (Psalm 49:16-20)
  • Mary: “And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.” (Luke 1:50-53)
  • James: “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” (James 4:10)
  • Peter: “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you.” (1 Peter 5:5b-6)
  • Jesus: “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:12 – see also Luke 14:11 and 18:14)

So, yes: Humility comes before honor – the only honor worth pursuing, the honor and exaltation given by God. Humble yourself before Him – and He will give you the honor of saying to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant! Enter into the joy of your Master.” (Matthew 25:23)

Parents, Children, and Education: Rights or Responsibilities?

Parental rights are a key issue this election season – particularly with respect to what happens in public school classrooms. Former Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe stated in a debate last year, “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.” He then lost the election to Glenn Youngkin by a substantial margin. Advocacy groups such as ParentalRights.org are promoting this issue at the national, state, and local levels, emphasizing locally the importance of school board elections.

There are indeed dangers to parents in our wider society. For example, some legal scholars are promoting a theory that parents’ rights are conferred by the state. One of these, Professor James Dwyer of William and Mary, says, “The reason parent-child relationships exist is because the state confers legal parenthood…. It is the state that is empowering parents to do anything with children.” Such theories are part of a larger movement (documented by Carl Trueman among others) that denigrates the family, exalts the state, and promotes the idea that we must discover who we are by looking inside ourselves.

Scripture presents a contrasting picture of the relationship between parents and children. But I would not label the Scriptural viewpoint as “parental rights.” It’s much closer to “parental responsibilities.”

Psalm 127:3 is key: “Behold, children are a gift [or “heritage”] from the LORD” (NAS). Note that there is no mention of the state in this verse! Children are created by God; they belong to God; He grants them to parents as gifts; and He entrusts parents’ with their care, their provision, their upbringing. Parents thus have the joy of playing a part in another’s story – an intensive, guiding part for 15 or 20 years, then an advisory part.

Certainly in fulfilling that role granted by God, parents have implied rights.

But the responsibilities are much clearer biblically than the rights. Consider the questions we ask parents at baby and child dedications. We never mention of rights; there is, however, a lengthy list of responsibilities found in Scripture, including:

Do you pledge as parents that, with God’s fatherly help, you will bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, making every reasonable effort, with patience and love, to build the Word of God, the character of Christ and the joy of the Lord into their lives?

God calls every parent to the task of training up children (Proverbs 22:6, Ephesians 6:4). Parents here make a commitment to help their children live lives of personal obedience. Yet personal obedience is not the goal; faith is the goal. Through learning obedience to loving parents, our children can learn the joy of obedience to a loving God; this can then be a means of grace that God uses to bring the children to faith, and that very faith will bear fruit in genuine Christian obedience.

We also ask:

Do you promise to provide, through God’s blessing, for their physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual needs, looking to your own heavenly Father for the wisdom, love and strength to serve them and not use them?

We as parents are tempted to use our children: As status symbols, as props for our egos, as accomplishments, as ways to succeed vicariously where we failed in our younger years. But biblically we are to provide for our children and serve them – not serving under them, but so to lead them that they grow into independent adults who by God’s grace love Jesus Christ, put Him first, and serve productively in society.

Now, if parents have the responsibility to train their children and to provide for the intellectual needs, they clearly are responsible for their children’s education. They are responsible for deciding how their children can be best educated. Some before God will choose to educate them at home; others will think it best to delegate part of their children’s education to a private or public school. But whatever the choice, the parents are responsible. God has entrusted them with their child. They must arrange for that child to be well-educated, intellectually, spiritually, and socially. To the extent that they delegate part of that responsibility to others, they must know what is being taught, how it Is being taught, and then in the home correct or combat any falsehoods or half-truths propagated in the school. Parents as a group, therefore, can and should influence what is taught in schools.

Now, the state does have a role in the lives of children. Most clearly the state has a responsibility to protect all citizens from law-breakers – and that includes protecting children from parents who clearly abuse or harm their children. The state also has a civic interest in seeing that children receive sufficient education to be good citizens. But the family precedes the state. Furthermore, as G.K. Chesterton wrote, the family is the “only state that creates and loves its citizens.” The governing state should rightly defer to parents on education and childrearing in general, acknowledging that the great majority of parents will do a better job of raising their children than any state institution. Laws for dealing with the exceptional cases of child abuse should not be extended to cases in which parents simply have chosen to raise children in a way contrary to the state’s preferred way.

When the Pinckney children were young, we had an interesting annual interchange in this regard with our local school superintendent in Massachusetts. As homeschoolers, we were required by state law to ask for approval from our superintendent. But before God, Beth and I did not believe the superintendent had the right or responsibility to judge whether or not we were fit to school our children. At the same time, we wanted to have a cooperative relationship with the schools in town and were quite willing to listen to any advice or counsel they might give. So, every year, we wrote a letter informing our superintendent of our decision to homeschool, asking if they had any counsel, but explicitly not asking for approval. And then a few weeks later, we received a return letter approving our homeschool. In this way, everyone was kept happy.

So, parents: Rejoice in the responsibility God has given you to raise your children. Take it seriously, with all its trials and pressures. In a few short years this season of your life will end, and you’ll feel as Beth and I did when our youngest left home: “Like Mel Gibson at the end of Braveheart – your abdomen is open and someone is cutting away at your guts.”

I encourage all of you – vote wisely this week, especially taking into account candidates’ views on education and parental rights.

But may we as a church stand alongside one another and assist one another in raising these precious children to know “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,” to His great glory and praise (2 Corinthians 13:14).

Vote? Why? Blessing the Land of Our Exile as Ambassadors of the Kingdom

Winston Churchill once said, “Democracy is the worst form of Government – except for all those other forms.”

That is easy to believe in these weeks before an election, when we can’t help but see attack ads and misleading campaign fliers, when candidates avoid answering questions time and again, when the media twist statements and positions to advance their own narratives, when it can seem as if no candidate is talking in depth about important issues that face our country or city or schools.

Yet in a world of fallen humans, all beset with sin – “all those other forms” of government fail spectacularly. In this country, “we the people” have an opportunity – an opportunity to have a voice. Should we use it?

By all means.

Let me remind you of some biblical principles, and then list some considerations as you decide how to use your voice.

Three Biblical Principles

Principle 1: Followers of Jesus are aliens, exiles, sojourners in any earthly country.

Peter addresses his first epistle to the scattered elect “exiles” or “aliens” or “sojourners” (1 Peter 1:1). He later refers to God’s people as “foreigners” or “temporary residents” (1 Peter 2:11). The picture is thus similar to the Jewish exiles in Babylon in the sixth century before Christ – living as foreigners, away from their own country, wishing they could return. But remember the letter the prophet Jeremiah sent those exiles, found in Jeremiah 29. They will remain in Babylon for 70 years – thus, for the rest of most of their lives. But God’s promises remain. They are to hold firmly to those promises – and, in the meantime, they are to “seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare” (Jeremiah 29:7).

Just so with us. In Christ, God makes us a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). We obviously are “in the world,” but we, like Jesus Himself, are not “of the world” (John 17:14). We are aliens, exiles, foreigners, temporary residents here – indeed, ambassadors from King Jesus, as we make His appeal to those around us. And we seek the welfare of the country where we live both through that appeal and in other ways. Voting for the best candidates is one of those ways.

Principle 2: There is no political solution to our fundamental problem

We’ve already said that democracy is messy because we are fallen – we are rebels against God who are prone to self-righteousness, self-centeredness, ingratitude, pride, anger, hatred, groupthink, racism, corruption – the list could go on and on (see Romans 1:28-32 and 2 Timothy 3:2-5 for longer lists). Sin is so pervasive that “none is righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). So if on the off chance we elect the very best candidate for every single office – we will still have elected sinners who will fail.

So all the utopians speak nonsense who say, “If we can only get rid of so-and-so, if we can only defeat this party, if we can only dominate this court or that legislature, if we can only elect this president or end global warming or end abortion – then we will save our country and all will be well.” No. The only hope for an enduring Kingdom that cannot be shaken is Jesus – and He promises He will bring it about, in His time, when He returns.

But that does not mean no improvements can be made! Thus our next principle:

Principle 3: In this world, glorify Jesus by working for improvements in your circle of relationships and in your city, state, and country.

The Jewish exiles had no illusions about transforming Babylon into a perfected Jerusalem. But they could work for improvements – and they did. God commands us to do the same. We can have the greatest impact in our own circles of relationships as we love our neighbors as we love ourselves, as we let our light shine before others so they see our good works and give glory to our Father (Matthew 5:16). But we can have at least some impact on the wider society – and at times in history, “some” has become “major.” Read, for example, of William Wilberforce and the eventually successful effort to end the slave trade.

Furthermore, even if we end up having zero impact on the wider society, loving our neighbor, working for the welfare of our city and country, and serving as ambassadors of Christ by proclaiming the Good News are worth whatever cost we bear. God has called us to this. He is glorified through the process – not only through the hoped-for result.

 

Considerations for this Election

1) Don’t believe media characterizations of candidates. Every media outlet has a political perspective, and many massage their stories to advance their preferred candidates. If you read or hear a particularly damaging excerpt from a candidate, search for the full essay or speech or interview. Often when heard in context, the excerpt is seen to be misleading.

2) Frequent media outlets that genuinely present contrasting views. I have found RealClearPolitics to do this far better than most – whatever your persuasion, every day you are likely to find something you think is great, as well as something you disagree with strongly.

3) Pay significant attention to judicial races, school boards, county commissioners, and state legislative races. In many cases these races end up having a greater impact on our lives than the national races. Yet because candidates have few resources, we don’t hear much about them. Under recommended resources above I’ve provided links to help you learn of candidates.

4) Consider seriously candidates’ position on abortion. In past years, when Roe v Wade was in place, there was little a congressman or senator at the state or national level could do to affect abortion policy. But after the overturning of Roe v Wade, there will be significant battles in NC and at the national level to pass legislation. Our country faces many important issues – but it is hard to imagine one more important, one closer to the heart of God than the protection of vulnerable, unborn children.

Please vote. Please work for the welfare of the city and country where God has placed you. Please glorify Jesus as you do so.

And then place your hope not in your vote, not in any political party or objective, but in His promise: “Surely I am coming soon” (Revelation 22:20). Amen. Come, King Jesus.

Does God Need Our Help to Fulfill His Plan?

[This devotion is a shortened form of a sermon preached February 24, 2019 in the series, Contradictions? How Delving Into Challenging Topics Unlocks the Riches of God’s Revelation. You can listen to the audio of that sermon via this link.]

Jesus said:

  • “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” (John 20:21).
  • He said: “Go … make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:18).
  • Paul says: God has entrusted “to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:20-21).

These statements and commands raise the question: Does God need us?

God is spreading His Gospel to every tribe and tongue and people and nation

He tells us this Gospel of the Kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and only then will the end come (Matthew 24:14).

So does God need us – His people, His church – in order to fulfill this promise?

Jesus also said: “The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Luke 10:2).

Doesn’t that sound as if God needs laborers?

God commands us to go and proclaim the Gospel. But sometimes that biblical command is coupled with an implied picture of God in heaven, wringing His hands, just hoping that maybe someone would go and do the work that He needs done.

Now – most who read their Bibles regularly know that image is wrong. Nevertheless: Don’t the statements above imply that in some sense God needs us?

The biblical answer is quite helpful to us. In summary, that answer is: God gives us a tremendous task and a tremendous privilege. He gives us tremendous power to fulfill that task. Actively depend on Him – and never trust in yourself, or take pride in yourself.

Let’s see how Scripture fleshes out that answer.

God Doesn’t Need Us

That God doesn’t need us is simple to prove from numerous Scriptures. We’ll limit ourselves to only three.

First, John 15:5. Jesus says:

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

This is not ambiguous! We can do nothing on our own.

But notice what Jesus says in John 5:30: “I can do nothing on my own.”

Thus: We can do nothing apart from abiding in Jesus. And He can do nothing apart from the Father. So in effect: We are like Jesus! Jesus was actively dependent on God the Father. We must be actively dependent on God the Son

So Jesus does not demean in saying we can do nothing apart from Him. Rather, He is saying that everyone who is fully human – including Himself – must depend on God at all times. Jesus lives out for us the type of active dependence we must have.

For our third Scripture, turn to Zechariah 4. Many Jews have returned to Jerusalem from exile in Babylon, and are beginning to rebuild God’s temple. This is a great work of God, a necessary step in God’s plan to redeem a people for Himself. It is also a difficult, expensive engineering task. So there is a need for laborers.

Yet what is word of the Lord? “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit” (Zechariah 4:6). In effect God says: “You can’t even build a building apart from me.”

So: God has no needs that we could ever meet. He is the one with all power. He is the one who rules the world and controls all that happens. We need Him. He does not need us.

Fulfilling the Commission by Diligent Dependence

So: God commands us to go and make disciples, and God does not need us. How are these consistent? Let’s look more closely statements that call us to be God’s ambassadors.

  • Matthew 28:18-20: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore.… And lo I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
  • Luke 10:2: The verse opens with a statement of fact: the harvest is plentiful, the laborers are few. But the second part does not say: “So go out into the vineyard.” Rather, it says, “Pray!” He is Lord of the harvest. He will see that the harvest comes in. He will send the laborers. His power accomplishes the task.
  • 2 Corinthians 5.19-20: God has entrusted to us the message of reconciliation; we are indeed His ambassadors. But Paul then says, “God [is] making his appeal through us.” So He chooses to use us. But He is the one making the appeal.

Consider also 1 Peter 4:10-11. Peter tells us how to conduct all the ministries God gives us:

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies— in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (emphasis added)

The Apostle tells us why we must serve in God’s strength: So that He gets the glory! If we served in our strength, we could boast. But when we serve by His strength, we are humbled.

Thus,

  • We go out for the sake of His Name
  • We go in the power of His Name
  • We go diligently depending on Him for all that we do
  • We go in prayer, asking for His help every step of the way

Not by might, nor by power, but by His Spirit.

Viewing the Paradox via the Bible’s Storyline

Let’s step back and remember how reaching every people group with the Gospel fits into the overall storyline of the Bible.

God created mankind for His glory, to show what He is like. Man rebelled, rejecting God’s purpose in creating him. God could have destroyed all mankind immediately, thus displaying His perfect justice. Instead, to show not only justice but also love, mercy, and power. He instituted a millennia-long plan to create out of rebellious humanity a people for Himself, a people who would fulfill the purpose of the creation of mankind, a people who would show He is ultimate, not them. So He promises that a descendant of the first woman will crush the head of Satan. Then after rebellious mankind tries to make a name for Itself by building a tower up to heaven He scatters people, confusing their languages, dividing them into many different people groups. But then He calls a man, Abraham, and tells him all these people groups will be blessed in his descendant. And Abraham fathers this promised child only by God’s mercy and miraculous power.

Over the centuries God shows time and again that apart from Him we can do nothing. Despite the disobedience of His people:

  • He rescues Abraham’s descendants from slavery
  • He chooses the youngest of Jesse’s sons to be king
  • He promises that HE will build an eternal kingdom with a descendant of this man David reigning as king
  • And He promises through Isaiah that He will lay all the iniquity of His people on a suffering servant – whom He will then raise from the dead

So in the fullness of time He sends Jesus into the world to be born to a poor teenage girl. Jesus then lives out how to depend on God every minute of every day, thereby displaying God’s power, majesty and authority. And while evil men and Satan try to destroy God’s plan by killing Jesus, God in His power, authority, and love uses their very plan to fulfill His promise to redeem His people by a suffering servant. He then show His might and the sufficiency of the sacrifice by raising Him from dead.

And this risen Jesus then commissions us to go, like Him, in the power of God to be His ambassadors. He reminds us that we can never do this on our own. God will use His weak, powerless people to accomplish His great work. The earth must be filled with the knowledge of His glory; every tribe and tongue and people and nation must be a part of His people. And He will bring it about.

This, reaching the nations is not some minor sidelight in God’s overall plan. It is a key part of that plan.

God doesn’t need us to fulfill that plan – He could raise up workers from dried bones (Ezekiel 37) or even from stones (Luke 3:8). But He gives us the task, the privilege, and the power to go in His Name. He delights to use us, as we depend on Him and thereby fulfill His plan.

What Do We Ever Accomplish?

So let’s step back from our commission and ask: Can we humans really do nothing apart from Jesus?

What do we accomplish?

We have abilities, intelligence, experiences, family backgrounds, and education. Through these, we think, we plan, we research, we produce, we work hard; we train our minds and bodies, we develop our talents, we start and grow businesses; we write books, we perform jobs, we love our families, we raise our children, we serve our countries, we help our cities; and thereby many – Christians and non-Christian – accomplish something of value.

  • Something valuable to us.
  • Something valued by our society.
  • Something that seems good, useful, and helpful.

But note two points.

First: God needs none of that. He gives us even the breath we need to live! (Acts 17:24-25).

Second: All that we accomplish is a gift from Him. This is true whether we are Christians or not, whether we actively depend on Him in the process or not. As Deuteronomy 8:17-18 tells us:

Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth.

So apply that idea to yourself: Not one iota of your success, your hard work, your contribution came from you apart from God (1 Corinthians 4:7).

Reflect on your accomplishments and goals. What do you have to be proud of?

In my case:

  • I earned a PhD
  • I am a husband and father
  • I planted a church
  • I brought the Perspectives class to Charlotte

List with me all that you could conceivably be proud of. And then pray:

All this is from you, Father God. Whatever in my life is good, fruitful, productive, helpful, loving, or wise is from you. Whatever is messed up, wrongheaded, hurtful, hateful, or foolish is from me. If You had not given me life and breath each second I would have been dead. If You had not graciously given me abilities, perseverance, empathy, and love, my life would have been one fruitless hell-hole after another. Yet in Jesus You have chosen me, You have loved me, You have set me apart as holy. You call me your child and assure me nothing will separate me from Your love. And You call me along with all Your people to be Your ambassador! All praise to You, O Father – I love You. May I serve You with what You do not need, and so glorify You. Fulfill Your plan – in part through the way You use me. Here am I.

So, always remember: It’s not about you, your ministry, your gifts, your calling – it’s all about God. It’s all about Jesus. You are here to show God’s image, to display Christ.

Thus we must have no pride and no despair. No self-exaltation. No church-exaltation. No country-exaltation. Only God-exaltation. Only Jesus-exaltation.

His is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.