Shame, Death, and The Image of God

 

As we have continued our image of God series this year we have seen how idolatry plays a role in us lending our bodies to serve things other than God. Paul implores us in Romans 6:12 to not let sin reign in our bodies.The picture this invokes is one of a throne set in a kingdom that has wealth and power. But instead of the rightful king reigning on the throne in his place we see a small evil subject who, if allowed to reign on the throne, can use all of the king’s wealth and power to cause death instead of create life—to tear down instead of build up. Paul implores us not to let this happen. In fact, he tells us exactly what will happen if we do. If we let Sin to reign it will lead to Lawlessness and Death. But if God reigns he will lead to Sanctification and Life.

When faced with these two options side by side—Sin-Lawlessness-Death or God-Sanctification-Life—we could wonder how anyone ever chooses the evil servant over the rightful king. Unfortunately for us, this choice does not always present it self this way.  The road to idolatry is paved with deception. Just as Satan deceived in the garden, the same happens to us. If the enemy can make life with God look like death or make increasing lawlessness look and feel like sanctification, then we are undone. Sin will reign in our life, and we will serve it instead of our King.

Shame can act as the proverbial canary in the coal mine—like a warning system that our ways are leading to death instead of life.

The grace of God has given us mercies to avoid deception. He has given us sound doctrine to know right from wrong. He has given us new hearts to desire the things of God, and built into our image a signal that will help us avoid deception—shame. Paul notes for us in Romans 6:21 that the behavior of our old lives now lead to shame and the fruit of our old lives lead to death. Recall that Adam and Eve’s first response to disobeying God was to hide themselves because of their shame (Genesis 3:6-8). We are tempted to respond this way as well. Instead of coming to God with our sin and guilt to be cleaned and set back on the right path, we run. Shame can act as the proverbial canary in the coal mine—like a warning system that our ways are leading to death instead of life. Shame should help nudge us back to a loving God who is willing to clothe us when he finds us in our foolish, deceived, nakedness (Genesis 3:21).

Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God

– Hebrews 12:2

We should ask ourselves what causes us to experience shame? Are we feeling shame because of something we have done wrong and want to hide? Perhaps, even worse, are we ashamed of the things that we are doing that’s righteous? For example, consider the sinful shame we may feel when speak out for what is right or share our testimony. In either case we should know that we have a king in Christ who welcomes. He covers our sins with his righteousness when we do wrong, and he also shows us how to overcome the shame we may feel when we do right (Hebrews 12:2). So let us not ignore our shame! We must quickly bring it to God when we sin because the shame is justified. We must also conquer it like Christ when the fear of man takes hold in our hearts when we aim to do what is right. Let us use it to avoid deception and conform to the Image of God in which we are made.

God’s Holy Repentance

 

One of blessings of studying the Doctrines of God is that his holiness becomes very clear in comparison to the nature of man. God’s unchanging inner emotional state, his lack of passion, seems odd to us since our emotions change often, but at the same time it should lift our spirits. Through this we are reminded that God cannot love us more than he already does and his love never weakens. Similarly, the simplicity of God, or the fact that he is not composed of parts, is foundational to his eternality in stark contrast with our mortality. God does not change with time because he cannot be divided into past, present and future.

Hallelujah! We are putting our hope in an eternally loving God who cannot change. So what then are we to make of scriptures that suggest God can change his mind? If God can repent that he made man (Genesis 6:6-7) what else can he decide to repent from? Can he decide to repent from the mercy and love toward us as well? Can he repent from the saving faith that he given to you? Thankfully the inspired writers dealt with this apparent contradiction. In 1 Samuel 15, within a span of less than 20 verses, the author of the book tells us two completely opposite things about God. God regrets making Saul king while at the same time, in fact, God does not have regret at all.

1 Samuel 15:10-11: The word of the Lord came to Samuel:“I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.” 

1 Samuel 15:29: the Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for he is not a man, that he should have regret.”

David was always the King God intended to establish because Christ, the greater son of David, is the King that God has established.

While Saul appears at first to be a good king he later revealed himself to be foolish, rash, and disobedient which culminated in God rejecting Saul as king of Israel. So it appears that God is changing his mind about Saul. However, the prophet Samuel points us to another possible answer. Perhaps God has not made Saul king at all! His argument for God not repenting or lying is simple and clear. God is not a man. God’s ways and man’s ways are so different that we are challenged to go back and re-read the book to examine how God’s ultimate plan differs from what is happening with man.

 

It appears that Hannah is the lesser of two wives and not part of God’s plan. She is mocked because God has closed her womb but in fact God would eventually have her give birth to the prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 1).

It appears that Eli and his sons are escaping the judgment they deserve from abusing their position as priests but in fact God brings about judgment against them in his perfect timing (1 Samuel 4).

It appears that the Philistines have overcome the Lord and his people by defeating them in battle and taking the ark of the covenant. In fact their military “victory” has brought affliction to their people and their false idol from God himself and would ultimately result in them making sacrifices to the God of Israel (1 Samuel 4-6).

So while Saul was made King [in man’s eyes] in fact things may not be as they appear. When it comes time to pick Saul’s replacement, God tells us how he will come to pick the eventual king, David: “the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance but the Lord looks on the heart.” Even Saul comes to this realization eventually. When David spares his life, Saul proclaims that he is more righteous and that “he will surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hand” (1 Samuel 24:19-20). David was always the king God intended to establish because Christ, the greater son of David, is the King that God has established. Christ is King over all things from eternity, and he has offered himself to you. So how does God repent? Well he does one thing and then he does another but always according to his good and perfect will that never changes because God is not a man that he lies or has regrets.

The End of Secular Work

The Supremacy of Christ in all things has been a clear and encouraging theme in the book of Colossians. Christ having made all things and being in authority over all things has established himself as the perfect image of God and the purpose of all creation. How does this apply to our labor?

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:15-17)

First, work is a good thing. God commanded Adam to work before the Fall (Genesis 2:15), and we continue this work even today. We work to provide for our families. Work can give us a sense of purpose and accomplishment. And, work helps to build our communities. But how we work and why we work is a reflection of our souls, which too belong to God. For this reason, we cannot consider our work to be “secular,” having no relation to religious or spiritual activity. Ironically, those who take pride in building a Godless society may make this point more clear to us, because they have actually elevated their work to a religious or spiritual activity. They have elevated the created thing over the Creator and have fallen into idolatry.

To be clear, our work can certainly be sinful. There are whole industries, both legal and illegal, devoted to indulging our sinful nature and working in these industries would certainly put us at odds with Gods Word. A bigger temptation for us is that we elevate the good work that God has given us above God himself. We can be motivated to work from our hunger for more: more pay, more status, more accomplishment, or even more ministry success. When we work, whether we recognize it or not, we turn the good labor that God has given us into our redeemer instead of God himself.

We are tempted to look to our work to provide for our needs instead of looking God who uses work as means to provides for us according to his riches  (Philippians 4:19).

We are tempted look to our work to affirm and validate us instead of looking to God who affirms us as his children with great love (Galatians 3:26; 1 John 3:1).

We are tempted to identify with our work instead of God and his people (Colossians 3:3).

We are tempted to work to please man instead of God (Colossians 3:23).

Christ has redeemed us by completing a work we could not perform

Ultimately no work can be separated from God since all work belongs to God and reveals what our soul truly desires. And, Christ, by his work, has paved the way for us to put our work in its proper place. Christ has redeemed us by completing a work we could not perform. By living a sinless life and going to the cross, he frees us from the curse of death that we earned from the work of sin that we did perform. Only because of Christ can we put work in its proper place and, thereby, labor out of our satisfaction in God instead of laboring out of our hunger for his creation. When we do this, we begin to model Christ, the perfect image of God, who has supremacy over all things.

3 Ways to Pray to a Passionless God

One common objection to the doctrine of impassibility which states that God does not suffer or feel the actions of creatures upon himself is that it implies that God’s love for us is inferior in someway. We can be tempted to think that God lacks of passion means he doesn’t care about our circumstance (particularly our suffering), and so it appears that God’s love is cold and distant. This cannot be further from the truth. God being revealed as a God who does not have passion actually means that he cannot love you more than he already does. His care and intention toward you is superior to human care and intention because it does not require a first cause or stimuli. As we heard proclaimed during our time in the book of Mark, God loves you because he loves you and all of his acts toward you are filled with his khesed.

I’ve been encouraged by the response I’ve received since I preached on this topic. The questions, challenges, and conversations have led to deeper study of the doctrine and confirmed my belief that these doctrines matter. I want to continue the dialogue by applying God’s impassibility to our prayer life. How does understanding Yahweh as a passionless God impact our prayer life? If God is impassible why should we pray? And, what is the impact of my prayer on God? So here are 3 ways to pray to a passionless God.

When we follow Gods command to pray we are more able to see him as the infinitely loving God in all of life’s circumstances.

Pray with the knowledge that Christ is your Lord

When we focus on a particular attribute of God whether it is his impassibility or omniscience, we can lose sight of the other things that God has revealed himself to be. God has revealed himself fully in the life of Christ who prayed often to the same Father we have. Christ is not only our model but our Lord who commands that we pray (Matthew 26:41), so we pray to follow the lead of our master who forever lives to intercede for us. We do well to humble ourselves under a God who seeks to serve and build us up through our prayers.

Pray as a means of Gods grace and glory

Imbedded in the question “If God is impassible why should I pray?” is the implication that our prayers are not a result of God’s attributes. This may be easier to see if we replace impassibility with sovereignty. God has revealed himself to be sovereign over all things and this can lead us to ask the same question, “Why pray?” The answer is the same for both questions, our prayers are means of God’s sovereignty and an act of God’s unchanging love toward us. God’s unchanging emotional state is not a reason to pray less but more. We pray for forgiveness knowing that our sins do not change God’s redemption love toward us in Christ, and he is zealous to redeem us as we have seen in the book of Ruth. We pray that God shows his glory through our words and deeds to those arounds us, which he is committed to do. He uses our prayers as a conduit to accomplish his good and perfect will for us. This is an act of his unchanging love for us. Our prayers are the means of grace that he uses because he is impassible not in spite of it.

The Psalmist is praying not to change God but to be changed by God because he knows God loves him despite his circumstance (42:8)

Pray in times of suffering knowing that God loves you

Psalm 42 is great example of how we should pray in light of Gods passionless love for us. The psalmist is in despair and he feels that God has forgotten him. His enemies take note of his condition as well and taunt him. At first glance, knowing that God’s love for him has not changed and cannot increase may not seem to be the best encouragement. We are tempted to think “if this is how God shows his love then no thanks.” This is not the psalmist’s response to his circumstance. Instead he prays for his soul to put its hope in God (Psalm 42:5,11). The psalmist is praying not to change God but to be changed by God because he knows God loves him despite his circumstance (42:8). This is a great example for us because our petitions to God should be informed by who he has revealed himself to be and not simply how we would like him to act on our behalf. This is not to say we should not pray that our suffering be removed—this is a good and worthy petition to God. However, what we ultimately need is to see God for who he is even when we suffer so that our faith In him increases even in our times of suffering. Nothing will separate us from his love, even life’s trials (Romans 8:31-39).

So our prayer life should not be hindered but enhanced by who God has revealed himself to be. He wants us to cast our cares onto him because of his unchanging love for us (1 Peter 5:6-7). When we follow God’s command to pray we are more able to see him as the infinitely loving God in all of life’s circumstances.

 

Put On the New Self

 

In the month of January we focused as a church on our identity as images of God. We learned that we are not simply bearing the image of God we are the image of God. It’s part of our core identity, and in Christ that image is perfected. Because we are his image, he commands our life and how we live, and particularly how we show his love. We are either light-shining, life-giving images of God or we are darkness spreading takers—agents of deaths. Those who shine God’s light do so by spreading the eternal gospel to all nations, tribes, and tongues which overcomes ethnic, socio-economic, and gender barriers. This work is not without opposition. As the father of lies Satan would have us believe that God’s wisdom cannot be trusted but rather we should trust in our own feelings to decide how to live and express ourselves rather than trusting God’s word for us.

“Put on the new self which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator”

– Colossians 3:10

As we reflect on this, we may be tempted to see these things as a laundry list of commands we must obey. We must be spreaders of light by sharing the gospel to all nations, we must fight against the lies of Satan, we must show God’s love by conforming to his perfect image. Thinking of these as imperatives that we must complete can make us feel overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of God’s call or make us feel guilt and shame from our own sins that have spread darkness instead of light to others. Alternatively, we can become filled with pride as we reflect on how we have accomplished great things for God. Don’t let this be so. Our fight is not primarily to use our will to perform these acts or judge our own performance of commands but to walk in what God has already performed for us. Colossians 3 helps us to see this clearly.  Paul instructs the church in Colossae to do away with their darkness (Colossians 3: 5-9) and become spreaders of light (Colossians 3:12-17).  A life that was once marked by slander, sexual immorality, and selfish desires is replaced with truth and compassion, using our words to teach and encourage. How exactly are they (and we) to do this? Not by relying on our own power but by putting on the new life God has created for us after his own image (Colossians 3:10).

“God does not establish our new identity then leave us on our own to live it out, but he becomes the constant source of this new life.”

We cannot defeat the lies of Satan or be commanded by God’s love using our own authority. This is only done by being empowered by God himself. This new self was bought by the blood of Christ at the cross and empowered by his resurrection (1Corinthians 6:20; Colossians 3:1). The encouragement does not end there. Not only is this new self established by Christ, but it is being “renewed in knowledge.” God does not establish our new identity then leave us on our own to live it out, but he becomes the constant source of this new life. He is like a loving parent who urges their child to live a life worthy of the great name they have been given then walks with them to ensure they complete their calling with joy. By walking in the power their guardian gives, the child will not only be assured that they will accomplish their task (being an agent of light) but they will be protected from any prideful feeling that they are accomplishing this under their own power.

So do not fret at these imperatives but rather be encouraged that God has created this new life for you. So simply put it on. Walk in it, and Let the Father guide you as he did his beloved son.

How to Keep a New Year’s Resolution: Be Empowered by God

One of the joys of a new year is the hope it generates that our lives can improve or our flaws can be overcome. The power of this hope often results in a New Year’s resolution. While there is disagreement about the usefulness of these resolutions or what makes a good resolution the one thing that we can all agree is we aren’t very good at keeping them. The average New Year’s resolution lasts about 10 days so by the time you read this post you will likely be more than halfway through a typical New Year’s resolution lifetime. So Instead of providing insight on what your New Year resolution should be or if you should have one at all (if you are interested in this topic see Jacob Smith’s post from December 2022), the focus of this post is how to keep a resolution (New Year’s or otherwise) to begin with. Put another way how do we develop a godly resolve to keep our commitments?

 

We should not rely on the power of our own will to complete the commitments God has set in our hearts.

 

First we should see that our conversion itself is a kind of resolution, empowered by God, to follow him. We have been saved from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light and are now slaves to righteousness (Colossians 1:13, Romans 6:15-23). Upon conversion our life is now marked by a commitment to follow the ways of Christ. This commitment comes with great power to obey him. We should not rely on the power of our own will to complete the commitments God has set in our hearts. Instead we must trust that he will provide the power and encouragement to us. Knowing that he has rescued us and that he now empowers us reminds us that we should actively depend on him to keep the “resolves for good” that we have (2 Thessalonians 1:11–12).

 

Our failures are an opportunity to depend on God even more to restore the path he has set for us and keep our commitments.

 

Another key to keeping a godly commitment is knowing how to respond to failure. Failure of some kind is inevitable with a year long (or life long) commitment, so it is critical that we train ourselves to persevere and overcome them.  Godly resolutions don’t die because we fail to keep a commitment perfectly, they die because we simply quit. Often times our failures are so demoralizing and debilitating that we are tempted to give up our commitments altogether. Because of our sin, we should expect to fail at some point. This fact shouldn’t provide us comfort but rather it should encourage us to prepare ourselves to respond to our failures in a godly way. The prophet Micah is great example and encouragement in this regard. His response to failure is not to run away from God but to acknowledge the results of his sin and put his trust in the same God he has sinned against to “bring him out to the light” (Micah 7:8-9). So even our failures are an opportunity to depend on God even more to restore the path he has set for us and keep our commitments.

If despair is the disease that weakens our godly resolve, then joy is the tonic.

If despair is the disease that weakens our godly resolve, then joy is the tonic. Paul describes his ministry to the church in Corinth as a work “with you for your joy” (2 Corinthians 1:24). He goes on to give them many godly commitments that make for good resolutions. There are encouragements to give (2 Corinthians 9:6-15), to reconcile both to God and man (2 Corinthians 5:18), and to not tamper with God’s Word (2 Corinthians 4:2). We should see our godly commitments as a way to increase our joy in Christ, remove our despair, and keep our godly resolve. Our New Year’s resolutions and how we keep them (or not keep them) show us what we put our hope in. As we make these commitments, let us trust in God’s power to fulfill them, fight against our despair, and work toward joy in Christ.

DGCC 20th Anniversary Celebration: Obeying God’s Command to Remember

As we have seen now over and over again in the book of Judges,  God’s people consistently rebel against him to serve other gods after he persistently shows them mercy by saving them from oppression. In Judges 3:7 we learn of one of the most surprising root causes of their idolatry; “the people did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. They forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth.” They forgot God? That sounds really strange. Did they forget God like we forget the many passwords we use to access our accounts online? Did they forget God like we forget a person’s name just moments after they introduce themselves to us? No. In fact Romans 1:18 suggests that is impossible to forget God in this way since our world is filled with reminders of an eternally powerful creator God.

The things that God has given us that bring us joy and purpose are not inherently bad but when they become our ultimate focus we can forget God.

So how did they (and we) forget God? They forgot God like a adult child forgets to call their parents or loved ones. It’s not that they forget they exist but other things in life begin to occupy their focus and animate their hearts and desires. We can begin to be more interested in the things of this life and begin to believe the promises that they can give us more than the promises of God. Maybe it’s a fulfilling career, your identity, a mate, bodily pleasure and expression, or even your vision of ministry. The things that God has given us that bring us joy and purpose are not inherently bad but when they become our ultimate focus we can forget God. The people of Israel forgot God and served Baal and the other idols of their day. We too are prone to forget God, but, instead of serving physical idols, we often serve our own worldly hearts and desires. Have you forgotten God? Have you loved creation more than the Creator or wanted the gift more than the gift giver? We all have whether it was intentional or not. The solution to this problem is found in Deuteronomy 6:4-9, 20-25, and it is as simple as the problem is surprising. We must remember God’s Law, his powerful work in our lives and then testify of his goodness.

We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. And the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. And the LORD showed signs and wonders, great and grievous, against Egypt and against Pharaoh and all his household, before our eyes. And he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in and give us the land that he swore to give to our fathers (Deuteronomy 6:21–23).

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates[…] “When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the LORD our God has commanded you?’ then you shall say to your son, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. And the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. And the LORD showed signs and wonders, great and grievous, against Egypt and against Pharaoh and all his household, before our eyes. And he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in and give us the land that he swore to give to our fathers. And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as we are this day. And it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us” (Deuteronomy 6:4–5, 20–25).

Our personal testimonies of God’s work in our lives are just as miraculous and powerful as visual acts of God’s power.

One of the ways we remember God is by sharing our personal testimony of how he has delivered us. To the children of Israel their testimony was of a big and powerful act of God through the plagues and parting of the red sea to save them. Our personal testimonies of Gods work in our lives are just as miraculous and powerful as visual acts of Gods power. We were slaves to unforgiveness, but the LORD softened our hearts and repaired our relationship. We once lived a life that ignored God, and now God has become the primary source of our joy. Sharing our personal testimonies, especially with our children, in a way that highlights God’s power and doesn’t bring undue glory to our sin is not only God honoring but it also helps build faith. This weekend we have an exciting and joyous opportunity to fulfill this command as part of our celebration of 20 years of ministry at Desiring God Community Church. We will share our testimonies of God’s work in our lives through this ministry. We will sing songs of worship to God for his steadfast love shown to us through others. So think of the ways that this ministry and the people in it have blessed you and helped you draw closer God. Come and join us this weekend as we remember a God who cannot be forgotten.

We will be celebrating the 20th Anniversary of Desiring God Community Church on Saturday October 21st with dinner, testimony, and worship at 1821 Back Creek Church Rd, Charlotte, NC 28213 from 3pm-7pm. Please join us!

God Is Worthy of Our Going and Sending

In Revelation 5 John looks and sees God seated on the throne with a scroll in his hand. The scroll has writing on it, and it is sealed with seven mysterious seals. While he is looking at the Father he also sees an angel very loudly saying “Who is worthy to open the scrolls and break the seals?” These seals usher in God’s judgment on evil and help fulfill his plan of redemptive history but no one in heaven or on earth or even under the earth was found worthy to open it or even look into it. This makes John weep loudly! All that God has created to help his creation know him, honor him, and flourish has been attacked or deformed by the kingdom of this world. Imagine history ending this way. Imagine evil not being judged or wrongs not being made right. Imagine God’s perfect plan never being completed in full. So John weeps loudly….but he does not weep for long.

And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”…And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” Revelation 5:5,9,10

We should all rejoice that Jesus is worthy! Jesus being worthy means that evil will be judged by a holy and righteous God. Christ has conquered the sin that is in our hearts and the sin that is in the world so our hearts should be filled with gladness and appreciation. Jesus is worthy to take the scroll and open its seals because he was slain. He came down from heaven and took on flesh, was tempted in every way but did not sin. The blood that he shed ransomed his enemies from every tribe, language, people, and nation. This blood has not only paid the price for our sins but also for our conformity to his image and our acceptance into his kingdom as priests.

In other words, when Christ died for us he didn’t merely cancel our sin debt to make us even with God. He canceled the debt and made an eternal contribution to our account. Christ transformed us from being debtors to God to those who have access to all things according to his riches and glory (Philippians 4:19). Our receiving the shed blood of Christ transforms us from orphans to heirs (Romans 8:17); it transitioned us from sinners to priests (1 Peter 2:9).

We also see here how God’s worth is tied to missions. By going we show that God is worthy to us, and by having us go with him God shows that he is a loving leader to his people. One day we will all be able to gather together at God’s throne and be amazed at his plan for redemption over so many ages to save people from “every tribe, language, people, and nation”.

You may say to yourself, “Well, I’m not currently going, so what about me? If goers go, what does that make me? Am I just a stayer? No. Goers go because God is worthy and those who support them are senders because God is worthy. Sending is not a lesser role in God’s plan for redemption. It is neither passive nor unessential. It’s part of God’s design to conform us to his imagine by sacrificially sending in a manner “worthy of God” (3 John 1:6). Remember that one day we will all be before the throne of God not as goers or senders but as one people redeemed from many peoples. We will sing praises to our God because he has overcome death, and he has finished the work that he planned before time began. He is worthy to judge the world because he redeemed the world and our church is actively playing a part in that redemption. The God of the universe has called us in various ways to help fulfill his good plan so ultimately going and sending is one work to honor a God who is worthy of both.

 

 

 

3 Cautions on Christian Nationalism

 

Was America founded on Christianity? The answer to this question may depend on your view of our nation’s history, our founding documents, or the personal beliefs of the founding fathers themselves. Recently many have begun to ask a slightly different but more important question, a question rooted in our future aspirations and not in the intentions and deeds of our past. As a believer should we support Christian Nationalism? Should the believers in a risen Christ who is supreme over all things want our nations laws, governance, identity and culture to be overtly Christian? While this idea seems good and even wise we should be cautious to embrace this idea outright not because some aspects of the ideology wouldn’t be good for all people but because our call is to put our hope and trust in Christ alone and the finished work that he has already completed. Below are 3 cautions regarding Christian Nationalism.

Laws can be a witness to our our own sinfulness but righteous laws cannot redeem.

Laws do not have the power to save

As Paul writes in Romans 1:16 it is the gospel of Christ that has the power to save us from the wrath of God. Even if a nations laws were perfect in every way we would still be no closer to the miracle of salvation that we receive when we put our hope the Gospel of a Christ. To be clear, we should want laws that are just, fair, and reflect the character of God. Laws can be a witness to our our own sinfulness but righteous laws cannot redeem. In fact Jesus himself often rebuked the Pharisees for outward displays of righteousness while being disobedient and having hearts that were far from God. Becuase our own fallen nature we could expect that our aspirations toward Christian Nationalism would have a similar effect on us. Too much focus on our laws resulting in us losing focus on the law giver who is eager to overlook our transgressions.

Our hope is in the finished work of Christ alone, we look to a future kingdom where God will reign and our ability to love and enjoy him fully will no longer be marred by our own sin and shortcomings.

Our hope is not in a Nation but in a risen Savior

As Christian’s we are encouraged to see ourselves as sojourners whose citizenship and identity is not  on this earth but in the heavenly kingdom that God has promised and prepared for us (Philippians 3:20, 1 Peter 2:1-11). However, Christian Nationalism tempts us to put our hope in the here and now, it would demand that we marry our eternal hope of the future with the political expediency today. These two things are ultimately incompatible.  Our hope is in the finished work of Christ alone, we look to a future kingdom where God will reign and our ability to love and enjoy him fully will no longer be marred by our own sin and shortcomings. This is our ultimate hope and we will get there through perserverance, prayer, and trust in the promises of God. Christian Nationalism may seem like a means to the same end but it is more likely to shift our hope away from the person of Christ altogether.

we can create a Christian nation by relying on the Gospel of Christ to create a nation of Christians

Christ resisted Christian Nationalism

We can alsongain some insight from the Gospel of John. After miraculously feeding the multitude with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, the people were amazed so much so that wanted to make Jesus king “by force.” This was Jesus’ opportunity to have a nation on earth and he rejected it (John 6:1-15). This could have been a people and nation with Jesus governing all laws, culture, and identities but he flatly refused. There should be no doubt in our minds about how great this would have been for the people of that day. Jesus would have been a just and righteous King. His decrees would have wise and effective, his military could have deployed angels and unimaginable power. He would have been the model of for Kingship and Governmental authority, but he refused. He refused not because it would not have been good but becuase our deepest needs were meet by him embracing his cross and not an earthly kingdom.

All Christians should want Christ to be glorified in every aspect of life even in our government (1 Corinthians 10:31) but the way this happens is not through state sponsored religion. Instead we can create a Christian nation by relying on the Gospel of Christ to create a nation of Christians. May the power of God be with us to this end and may he use all earhtly means even our nation itself to bring about his will.

A Time for Peace and Restoration

 

What do Christmas and the book of Judges have in common? At first glance you may not see very much. In the book of Judges we see a people who are now in the land God promised their forefathers, but they are surrounded by their enemies and are worshipping other gods. The people of Israel begin to disobey God by making covenants with their enemies, enslaving the inhabitants, and worshipping false idols (Judges 1:27-2:11). God had commanded them to fully possess the land so they could worship him free from fear or compromise. But, because they do not trust God’s strength, they fall into a cycle of idolatry that frankly makes the book of Judges exhausting to read. The people cycle through disobedience, disapproval, and distress over and over. They disobey; God disapproves; He then shows that disapproval by causing them distress.

On the other hand, Christmas is known for the joy and hope it brings. We sing songs, drink our favorite warm seasonal drink (hot chocolate with marshmallows are our families’ personal favorite). It’s also a time where we spend time with friends and family and exchange gifts to show our love for one another. The season feels so distant from what we read in the book of Judges.

However, the biblical narrative of Christmas has a very important similarity to the book of Judges — God comes to bring peace and restoration to His people. The story of Christmas is of a long awaited Savior coming to save his people in an unexpected way. The child of prophecy is born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14) and is not only the very son of God but the hope for all humanity to be freed from their sin (Isaiah 11:10; 42:1-4). That’s the same pattern we see happen over and over again in the book of Judges. After the people’s disobedience, God’s disapproval brings distress, but He is always faithful to send a savior to restore and bring peace to his people. God transforms their cycle of idolatry into one of peace and restoration. In fact, God gives this peace and restoration to everyone who puts their trust in Jesus Christ.

This is the common thread between a book that can be discouraging and a time of year that feels so joyous and hopeful. We should rejoice with the Psalmist who proclaims God’s great work in Christ in Psalm 85:1-4 and 8:

Lord, you were favorable to your land;
you restored the fortunes of Jacob.

You forgave the iniquity of your people;
you covered all their sin. Selah

You withdrew all your wrath;
you turned from your hot anger.

Restore us again, O God of our salvation,
and put away your indignation toward us!…

Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,
for he will speak peace to his people

Through Christ our sins are forgiven, God’s wrath and hot anger are removed, and He restores us to Himself. This is the reason for the joy we should have in this and every season. Despite our sins and constant disobedience, our God has spoken peace to His people! Let this testimony be in our hearts while we sing, drink, and gather with friends and family. We serve a great and loving God who has sent His Son into the world for peace and restoration.

[This devotion elaborates on points made in the November 6 sermon. The audio of that sermon is available at this link.]