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What Does Jesus Mean When He Says “Hate Your Life”?

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“Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (John 12:25).

I don’t think he means that we are supposed to engage in self-sabatoge to make our life harder than it has to be.

For example, I heard of a charity in the developing world once that refused to have a hot water heat put in, even though donors had fully provided for it, because they believed that there was extra virtue in having to put up with just having cold water.

That’s not the meaning of hate your life!

Instead, I think what Jesus means is that following his commands is hard. Which means that, at one point or another, there is going to be a cost to it.

As a result, sometimes when we follow his commands, life will go “less well” for us in this world. It will look like we hate our lives. Because we do in the sense that Jesus intends here — we love them less than him. And so whenever there is a conflict between what he commands and what will go better for us, we follow his commands. And we do this, if necessary, even to the pointing of losing our lives in martyrdom (Revelation 12:11).

Now, let’s apply this to productivity. “Hating your life” does not mean you don’t seek to grow your business as much as you can, or that you don’t seek to advance in your career. Rather, it means that you do so in line with Jesus’ commands. That will often involve sacrifice. But you don’t sacrifice for its own sake.

To go back to the example of the charity. If there was another charity nearby that needed a hot water heater, and only one was available, it certainly would be right and good for them to say “give it to them — we will continue to do without.” That’s Christian love (Philippians 2:4ff).

But to refuse the increased productivity and better tool out of some principle that advancing and having better tools is not healthy and good — that is not what Jesus is talking about.

For more on this, see John Piper’s devotional “How to Hate Your Life.”

Matthew 5:16, Paraphrased

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Matthew 5:16 tells us the purpose of our productivity: “Let your light so shine before others, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”

Where is productivity there? In the phrase “good works.” Good works are not just rare and special things we do, but any good thing we do flowing from our faith in Christ. This includes our work, which Paul explicitly categorizes as among the good works we are called to do (Ephesians 6:8 w/2:10).

What is the purpose of our productivity? That others may glorify God.

As I’ve mentioned before, this is often an ambiguous phrase to us. So here is a paraphrase of Matthew 5:16 that helps make the purpose in our good works more clear:

Let your let so shine before others, that they may see your good works and think highly of God.

That helps give us clear direction. Do everything you do in such a way that other people will begin to respect and admire God more fully, and express that in praise.

Why is Theology Central to the Christian Life?

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Because, as J. Gresham Machen said so well, Christianity is not just — or chiefly — an ethical code, but rather “a way of life founded on a message.”

Christianity is based on news. On something outside of us. On truth. And that’s theology.

Since Christianity is a way of life founded on a message, you can’t uphold the way of life if you disconnect it from the message. It’s like cutting a plant from its roots. It won’t last.

Further, Titus 3:8 shows us that sound doctrine (with exhortation) leads obedience when it is understood and believed. Note how Paul tells Titus there to teach the doctrine of justification so that God’s people will excel in good works.

How is theology the foundation of obedience? Because it builds the joy and hope that fuel obedience. Theology builds faith, and faith fuels obedience. The Christian life is a life of faith, and therefore doctrine is essential.

Of course it is not enough to just hear truth. We also must believe it and act on it. In turn, as we do so we find that application yields more spiritual discoveries.

So, interestingly, if you care about theology, applying what you learn leads to both love and, in turn, greater theological insight. But the ultimate aim of it all is love (1 Timothy 1:5).

What is Wrong With Some of the Recent Teachings on the Authority of the Local Church?

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There is a growing emphasis on church membership right now and “being under the authority of the local church.”

This can seem laudable in many ways, but there is a very important emphasis which often seems to be missing when people talk about this. Without this emphasis, people will inevitably misunderstand.

The missing emphasis is that of the freedom of the Christian and the ultimate authority of the Scriptures. This is well summarized even in the Church of England’s Articles of Religion, giving an excellent summary of the united position coming out of the Reformation on this matter:

Holy Scripture contains all things necessary to salvation: so that whatever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the Faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation.”

This is why I am uncomfortable with people speaking of “being under the authority of the local church.” There is a sense in which that can be understood properly. But I’m not sure most people who speak this way are doing that. It too easily sounds like the local church has complete authority over the person, almost like a medieval monarchy. That is simply not the case.

In order to understand church authority properly, it needs to be understood that the authority of the local church is a limited authority. That is, no church, no elder, no pastor, nor any other church officer can require a person to believe or do something that is not taught explicitly in the Scriptures, or deduced from them with good and necessary consequence. Which means no local church has complete authority over a person.

This is an extremely important matter, which is why I avoid ever using the phrase “under the authority of the local church.” We are under the authority of the Scriptures. This does not mean the local church has no authority; rather, it means they only have the authority to require what the Scriptures themselves require. In all other matters, the Christian is free and responsible to choose his or her own course of action.

Some people say “well isn’t that risky?” Which of course is how people’s freedom is always taken away. To deny spiritual freedom in the name of “well, you can’t handle freedom” is not only the road to tyranny; it is tyranny.

Beyond that, it is to go against what God himself has declared. God wants his people free and has made them free. I believe one reason for this is that this is the greatest stimulus to spiritual growth. You cannot truly take ownership of your faith, and thus grow, if you think you are ultimately dependent on any other person or institution — including your local church. The local church is to assist in growth, not take control of the person.

It is not healthy to see ourselves only in terms of submission. We are also leaders — leaders of our own lives.

To fail to emphasize this and keep it clear is to muddle the sufficiency of Scripture, the authority of the Scripture, and the God-given freedom of the Christian.

I would encourage anyone who is going down the road of this renewed emphasis on church authority to study carefully those doctrines first. A good place to start might John Stott’s chapter “Authority: Tradition or Scripture?” in Christ in Conflict. 

Can Christians Actually Change Society?

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John Stott has one of the best answers to this, in my view. From his article Four Ways Christians Can Influence the World:

If we are pessimists and think we are capable of doing nothing in human society today, I venture to say that we are theologically extremely unbalanced, if not actually heretical and harmful. It’s ludicrous to say Christians can have no influence in society. It’s biblically and historically mistaken. Christianity has had an enormous influence on society down through its long and checkered history. Look at this conclusion of Kenneth Latourette in his seven-volume work on the history of the expansion of Christianity:

No life ever lived on this planet has been so influential in the affairs of men like the life of Jesus Christ. From that brief life and its apparent frustration has flowed a more powerful force for the triumphant waging of man’s long battle than any other ever known by the human race.

By it millions have been lifted from illiteracy and ignorance and have been placed upon the road of growing intellectual freedom and control over the physical environment. It has done more to allay the physical ills of disease and famine than any other impulse known to man. It’s emancipated millions from chattel slavery and millions of others from addiction to vice. It has protected tens of millions in exploitation by their fellows. It’s been the most fruitful source of movement to lessen the horrors of war and to put the relations of men and nations on the basis of justice and of peace.

In other words, can Christianity change society? Of course. We know it can because it already has. 

Can You Insult Someone to the Glory of God?

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Joe Rigney is a very provocative writer, and his book The Things of Earth is very good. But I cannot agree with part of his recent post at TGC called “Surprised by Scripture: Love and Spirit-Inspired Insults.”

In this post, Rigney argues that we need to have a category for “the Spirit-inspired insult.” Referring to Paul’s words in Acts 13:9-10 to a soothsayer who was leading people away from the truth, Rigney writes:

This doesn’t sound like what we would call kind or civil or gentle. These are biting words, pointed words, sharp words directed at a particular person. In this case, the fruit of the Spirit is name-calling, insults, and harsh words. In this case, Spirit-prompted boldness means not mincing words about the wickedness of this magician.

Certainly Paul was being very direct in this passage. He called the soothsayer a “son of the devil,” “enemy of all righteousness,” and “full of all deceit and villainy.” Those are indeed very strong words.

But are they insults?

I cannot agree with Rigney on this because there is something important being overlooked here, and it is this: an insult involves the intent to harm. Therefore, it is not possible to insult someone in the Spirit.

What is going on in these texts, then?

Paul is making a statement of fact. He is indeed stating things boldly and directly, but he is not intending to harm. He is making a statement of fact.

When you insult someone, you are trying to hurt them. You do not have a constructive aim. Further, you are often exaggerating and misrepresenting things. That is not at all what Paul is doing here.

Technically, what we have here is a criticism, not an insult.

Paul is indeed making a bold assessment of this person’s character. But he is doing so truthfully, and not with an intent to hurt, harm, or put down the person. Rather, his aim is to bring the light of truth to bear on the situation. Making this accurate (though direct) statement of fact does that.

Perhaps this is just a technical difference between Rigney and me. That may completely be the case. Yet, I think this is a very important distinction to make. We are to speak in such a way that our words are always edifying (Ephesians 4:29), and we are to make sure that everything we do is done in love (1 Corinthians 16:14).

Hence, we need to be careful to keep this distinction clear between insults and statements of fact. Otherwise we could easily (and contrary to the intent of Rigney’s article as well) introduce into our relationships with people a way of speaking God does not intend — all the while thinking we are doing good.

Certainly there are times to speak boldly and directly about sin or even what has been manifest about a person’s character who is opposing the gospel. But even then, the intent should never be to harm or put the person down. We should not, therefore, feel comfortable with a category of “the Spirit-inspired insult.” Instead, it might be more helpful to think in terms of “the Spirit-inspired hard truth,” or “the Spirit-inspired constructive criticism.”

For a different angle from Rigney’s on this, let me suggest Glenn Brooke’s recent post at The Institute for Faith, Work, and Economics, Speaking Gracefully: One of the Great Joys of Leadership Under the Authority of Christ.

Preparing Your Teens for College

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Most people are aware of Alex Chediak’s excellent book Thriving at College. What is often overlooked is his sequel to that book, Preparing Your Teens for College. 

Don’t let the title fool you. This book is not just for parents of teenagers. It is for all parents, because the solid principles he outlines actually make the book an excellent primer on preparing your kids for life. 

It’s also for youth pastors, ministry leaders, high school teachers, and anyone else involved in the work of “training teens to leave home with the faith, character, and maturity to be successful not just in college but in the totality of their lives.”

You learn about helping your teens learn responsibility, be future-oriented, own their faith, be characterized by conviction and tolerance, learn financial responsibility, study, and doing so in a way that also affirms the importance of your kids’ unique talents and interests. For me, that was one of the most significant aspects of the book.

As the new school year is slowly creeping up, now is a good time of year to grab this book whether you literally have teens, your kids are already in college, or you are looking ahead to the teen years.

 

 

Why Plant Churches?

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A fantastic and extremely helpful article by Tim Keller that everyone needs to read.

Here’s the start:

The vigorous, continual planting of new congregations is the single most crucial strategy for 1) the numerical growth of the Body of Christ in any city, and 2) the continual corporate renewal and revival of the existing churches in a city.

Nothing else–not crusades, outreach programs, para-church ministries, growing mega-churches, congregational consulting, nor church renewal processes–will have the consistent impact of dynamic, extensive church planting. This is an eyebrow raising statement. But to those who have done any study at all, it is not even controversial.

The normal response to discussions about church planting is something like this:

A. ‘We already have plenty of churches that have lots and lots of room for all the new people who have come to the area. Let’s get them filled before we go off building any new ones.”

B. ‘Every church in this community used to be more full than it is now. The churchgoing public is a ‘shrinking pie’. A new church here will just take people from churches already hurting and weaken everyone.’

C. ‘Help the churches that are struggling first. A new church doesn’t help the ones we have that are just keeping their nose above water. We need better churches, not more churches.’

These statements appear to be ‘common sense’ to many people, but they rest on several wrong assumptions. The error of this thinking will become clear if we ask ‘Why is church planting so crucially important?’ Because–

Read the whole thing.

What is a Gospel-Centered, Missional Church?

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A great article at the new For the Church Website.

Here are a few excerpts:

What is a gospel-centered, missional church? Simply put, a gospel-centered missional church is one that recognizes that:

Authentic heart-transformation cannot happen apart from the gospel;

AND

Culture is not the enemy of the church; rather it is a broken treasure God has gone to great lengths to restore.

A gospel-centered church is so because the gospel is the engine that propels its mission….

A gospel-centered church is missional because it considers the needs, dreams, and hopes of culture, and engages culture in these areas as it communicates the gospel. A missional church finds the story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection to be so compelling and life-giving that it is willing to let it shape everything it does—its methodology—in order to communicate the gospel in a way that makes sense in its cultural context.

Read the whole thing.

5 Questions on Faith and Doubt

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Barnabas Piper’s new book Help My Unbelief: Why Doubt is Not the Enemy of Faith releases July 1st. In the weeks leading up to its release, he is interviewing several people on questions of faith and doubt.

Today his interview with me is up. The five questions are:

  1. What does “I believe, help my unbelief” mean to you?
  2. Do you have a favorite Bible passage about belief and doubt? What is it and how has it impacted you?
  3. What is belief in God?
  4. What do you see as the relationship between belief and doubt?
  5. How can a person strengthen their belief in God?