Making and Maturing

When Rome Is Burning

January 7, 2021
“Besides this, since you know the time, it is already the hour for you to wake up from sleep, because now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is nearly over, and the day is near; so let us discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.”
-Romans 13:11-12

On the night of June 18, AD 64 a massive fire started in the mighty city of Rome. The fire raged for seven days. The people suffered, and many suggested without evidence that Nero himself set fire to the city. Roman historian Tacitus relates that “Nero blamed the Christians, who are hated for their abominations, and punished them with refined cruelty.”

These events sparked the first major persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. Nero’s wild ride ended four years later when the Senate sponsored a rebellion that resulted in the deposition of Nero and ushered in an era of political and governmental uncertainty.

But think of this: while their world was burning, Christians in Rome likely had in their hands a copy of the letter to the Romans from the apostle Paul. They would have been reading soul-anchoring truths like,

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.”
-Romans 1:16-17

The church is no stranger to traumatic geopolitical events and major culture shifts. Governments and policies will come and go. The fate of the church—and Christians—does not depend on political happenings. When we are fuzzy on that truth we will face specific challenges:
1. If we put our faith in the government or a political ideology we are sure to be disappointed because no government or political movement is worthy of it. Let down is inevitable.
2. If we wed the hopes of the church with the government and the government is displaced, collapses, or changes dramatically we will face unnecessary discouragement, fear, or panic. We don’t have to ride that roller coaster.
3. If we focus too much on earthly institutions like governments we will likely miss out on investing in the eternal work of building the church. This doesn’t mean political efforts are a waste, but we should audit our expenditure of time, energy, and money for political causes. Do our co-workers/family/neighbors find us more passionate for a political ideal than for Christ?
4. If our primary identity is a political movement then we may be tempted to view those who do not share our views as enemies. In the worst cases we can grow bitter against them and respond to them with hatred rather than love and compassion.
5. If we bank on one specific form of government and it is replaced by another we will be tempted to rebel against that authority. Should we rebel against the government we sin by not submitting to God’s appointed authority (Rom. 13:1-5).
6. If we align too much with an earthly ideology we may begin to adopt the moral and ethical viewpoint of that movement. While we may share some morals, we also certainly will not share others. Thus the needed call to “discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light” (Romans 13:12).
Andrew Fuller said,

“When a man’s thoughts and affections are filled with such things as these [politics], the Scriptures become a kind of dead letter, while the speeches and writings of politicians are the lively oracles.”

We will always face political and cultural upheaval. Will we walk by faith in the midst of it? Christians in Rome woke up on June 19, AD 64 to find their city burning but their faith secure. Their calling had not changed and neither has ours; the righteous will live by faith. Indeed, “it is already the hour for you to wake up from sleep… the night is nearly over and the day is near” (Romans 13:11, 12).
Seeking Help: Further Reflections on 2 Kings 1:1-18

January 5, 2021

This Sunday as we considered 2 Kings 1:1-18 we were warned not to look to false gods for healing, protection, and provision in any area of our lives. The refrain “Is there not a God in Israel?” echoed through the passage and our hearts. Jesus is the true King and Healer, and he is our provider.

In this passage we were warned to not look to Ekron, but what about looking to Christ? As we think about moving forward in faith we need to ask, “What does it look like to trust God alone for our physical, financial, emotional, and spiritual needs?” This past Sunday we briefly touched on a few application points, but this topic warrants some further brainstorming.

Our faith must determine our worldview in every aspect of our lives, but in some parts of our lives it’s hard to see the spiritual connection (e.g., what does choosing a plumber have to do with being a Christian?). It may be helpful to think of different needs in our lives in two broad categories: concerns that have indirect spiritual relevance and concerns that have direct spiritual relevance.

Concerns of Indirect Spiritual Relevance

In this category I’m thinking of material concerns such as physical health needs (going to the doctor or dentist), or practical needs (car repairs or home repairs, seeking legal counsel). Does looking to God alone as our provider mean we don’t go to the doctor or hire a repair man? Of course not. Several general biblical principles can help us beware of turning doctors or diets into false gods:

1. Provision for practical needs is a function of the grace of God, and God blesses both believers and unbelievers with such blessings. Thus this is an area of what theologians call “common grace”—a way that God blesses all people.

In this regard good health care, a careful lawyer, or a quality contractor is a gift from God. They are not the ultimate cause of provision, but they are the means by which God blesses us. In these instances looking to Jerusalem doesn’t mean we reject receiving help from unbelievers. Instead, we see them as one way God provides for our needs.

2. God’s Word is sufficient to give us a worldview by which we are equipped to pursue these means of provision, while it is not exhaustive in that God doesn’t tell us which plumber to hire or dentist to use. General wisdom principles suggest choosing an able, honest practitioners if possible. In the end, we may thank God for his provision through such means.

Concerns of Direct Spiritual Relevance

In this category I’m thinking of issues about which God speaks directly in the Bible; issues like financial needs, relationship needs, or emotional needs. These are areas where believers have clear marching orders regarding what we are called to do and how we are called to live. The Bible doesn’t reveal how to choose a doctor, but it does reveal how to think about money or family. This group of needs has the most direct connection to our faith, and therefore is likely the most common place a Christian worldview will be in conflict with our culture.

1. The truth of God’s Word must be the final authority for determining what counsel we will follow. This is true if the counsel comes from a godly source like a Christian financial advisor or Biblical counselor, or if the counsel comes from a non-Christian. The gift of the Bible is God reveals to us who he is and who we are, and so we need not wander aimlessly as we deal with problems in our lives.

For example, if a financial advisor does not understand the Biblical financial priorities of providing for your family, generosity for gospel ministry and the poor, and faithfulness in meeting financial obligations then you will need to adjust the counsel you receive in light of God’s Word (note that “make as much money as I can so I can do whatever I want for as long as possible” is not a principle found in God’s Word, but commonly adopted in our culture).

The same is true with counsel regarding our family relationships or personal emotional issues. A non-Christian counselor can advise you to observe a date night each week as a way to strengthen your marriage. This is good advice. They will not tell you to do it as a means of glorifying God by valuing your spouse, so their counsel would likely miss the key heart issue of sacrificially loving your spouse. God must have the final say through his Word regarding any counsel we receive.

2. Areas where Christian counsel is in conflict with our culture require great caution and wisdom. In these matters much non-Christian counsel is directly contrary to the Christian calling, and therefore we need to be on high alert. This does not mean a non-Christian cannot give true counsel, but it does mean that we need to be careful to examine it in light of God’s Word.

In certain cases it is easier to spot ungodly counsel. Seeking advice from a spiritualist or medium (palm reading, tarot cards, horoscopes) is seeking counsel from a false god. For our spiritual health we need to learn that we simply cannot seek help from certain sources. In other cases it may not be as clear. This is where careful Christian reflection with our brothers and sisters can help us sift through competing ideas and worldviews. Looking to Jerusalem in the midst of a culture looking toward Ekron takes practice and, in a sense, failure, but God is faithful to teach and guide those willing toward Himself.

3. Accepting help in any area requires humility. One temptation in light of the blessing of God’s Word is to assume a posture of arrogance. This attitude projects an “I have my Bible and so I know it all” stance. The doorway into the life of faith is low. The first step in responding to the gospel is humbling ourselves by acknowledging our sin and need for help from an outside source.

Christians should be quick to ask for and receive help from others. In every instance of need, no matter how the Lord provides for us, humbling ourselves is a non-negotiable. To seek help from the Lord means acknowledging we need help. To listen to a doctor, or counselor, or lawyer we must admit that we don’t have all the answers. God provides for us through the common grace of truth, and he has given us in his Word the ultimate standard by which we can test and approve what his will is.
New Year, Old Truths

January 1, 2021
If you’re at all like me, you’ve been anxious for 2020 to be in the rear view mirror. It’s been a far more difficult year circumstantially than we’re used to. My heart has groaned in mourning and pushed back against restrictions. I’ve been quick to judge others and quickly frustrated. So I’ve been looking forward to 2021… a lot.

I fear I may have loaded 2021 with unrealistic expectations. In fact, I wonder if I haven’t overlooked a few key truths in 2020 that my heart needs every day. I confess I’ve been looking forward to 2021 as if God weren’t sovereign over 2020. But he was. I’ve been corrected in my heart by Romans 8:28,

We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.

We can confidently substitute 2020 for “all things” in that verse. God uses all circumstances, including hard ones, for our good and his glory. He is still sovereign.

My friend John Calvin notes that in light of God being the creator and sovereign of the universe,

We are therefore to await the fullness of all good things from him alone and to trust completely that he will never leave us destitute of what we need for salvation, and to hang our hopes on none but him.

Calvin’s pastoral thrust is right on here. As we look to 2021 perhaps we need to look less to a blank calendar and more to God. Consider a few key takeaways as we start a new year:
- God is sovereign, therefore we wait for all good things from him. Waiting wasn’t my strong suit in 2020. But waiting recognizes that God gives us what we need when we need it.
- God is sovereign, therefore we trust completely that he will not leave us hanging. This means tempering complaint and criticism with faith and confidence in him.
- God is sovereign, therefore we hope in “none but him.” It’s that last part that’s hard. It’s not God and the vaccine, or God and the government, or God and my diet… it’s just God.
- God is sovereign, therefore the mission hasn’t changed. In our rush to shuffle 2020 into the back of our minds and hearts, let’s be careful not to forget that the most important things in life haven’t changed with the date. God’s glory is still the primary goal of all of the universe. We are still called to repent of our sin and turn to Christ in faith. He is still glorified by the making and maturing of disciples of Jesus.
What we need most in this new year are the oldest truths in the universe, and we have them. Happy New Year!

P.S. If you’re looking for a Bible reading plan for 2021 I recommend Five Day Bible Reading. Check it out here.
Christmas and the Snake

December 24, 2020
She gave birth to a Son, a male who is going to rule all nations with an iron rod. Her child was caught up to God and to his throne.
-Revelation 12:5

Merry Christmas! In a year fraught with suffering on many fronts it’s all the more important to remember the birth of Jesus in light of God’s grand plan of redemption. His birth was a big deal.

Jesus entering the world was not merely the inauguration of the plan of salvation coming to be, it was also the inauguration of the defeat of evil. Christmas really is about “peace on earth”—not in a trite, catch-phrase sense, but in an authentic, “yes, evil will end” sense.

In Revelation 12 the apostle John is given a vision that summarizes the history of the world in relation to the mission of the Messiah versus the attempts of Satan to thwart it. In this vision a woman representing Eve/humanity is pregnant with the Messiah and Satan is presented as a great dragon/snake, seeking to devour him upon his birth:

And the dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she did give birth it might devour her child.
-Revelation 12:4

The imagery of this vision connects the events described with the record of sin entering the world in Genesis 3. The arrival of the Messiah is presented in truly epic terms—nothing less is at stake than the rescue of sinners and the universe from evil. The pregnant woman and Satan pictured as a dragon/snake are images that directly link Revelation 12 to Genesis 3:15 where God promises the Serpent in the garden that he will be defeated by a descendant of Eve,

I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.
-Genesis 3:15

John describes the arrival of the Messiah in striking brevity, “She gave birth to a Son, a male who is going to rule all nations with an iron rod” (Rev. 12:4). Note that the Messiah will have authority over all nations, and his rule will be unassailable. He will bring order, peace, and prosperity to a universe tainted by sin and evil. While not originally a Christmas hymn, the familiar lines from the Isaac Watts classic “Joy to the World” ring true here,
```
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found 
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This Son born of a woman was not devoured by the dragon; instead he conquered the raging serpent by his life, death, and resurrection. The vision of Revelation 12 is a vision of defeat for Satan and evil. The arrival of the Son was the beginning of the end for Satan.

The fact of the Messiah’s victory over Satan yields some important takeaways as we celebrate Jesus’s birth in 2020:
- After a controversial presidential election, we look to the future with hope because Jesus will ultimately reign over the nations.
- After a year filled with conflict between ethnic groups, we find real peace in the Messiah who defeated Satan. He offers lasting peace between all people through his life, death, and resurrection.
- After a year of mourning and panic over sickness and death, we rest in Jesus whose victory marked the start of sin’s curse being removed from the universe forever. His resurrection is the first installment of eternal life for his church.
- After a year of sinful responses to inconvenience and restriction, we move forward in faith-driven contentment knowing that sin and Satan have already lost the war.
We do not know what God has ordained for 2021. We know that Satan tried and failed to thwart the mission of the Messiah. We know that the birth of Jesus meant the start of the fulfillment of the promise of God in Genesis 3:15. We know that in the end evil’s day is done, and therefore we have truly lasting hope. The Son was born, and so the world will be made right. The snake lost. That makes for a Merry Christmas indeed.
A Short Biblical Theology of Sickness

December 10, 2020

For me the occasion of being sick in a year when all anyone is talking about is being sick allowed time for reflection on a biblical theology of sickness. Maybe you’ve wondered if COVID is God’s judgment on the world. Maybe you’ve wondered where Jesus is in the midst of this crisis. Maybe you’ve just been miserable. God has clearly spoken about sickness in the Bible so that we would be prepared for the inevitable. Perhaps these truths are just the firm foundation we need in the midst of this storm.

1. All sickness is a consequence of sin and the brokenness of the universe. In general, viruses and infections are a consequence of sin entering the world (note Genesis 3:17-19). Whenever we are sick, we are feeling the effects of sin. Creation itself longs to be free of this burden, as Paul reminds us in Romans 8:22,

“For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now.”

2. Sometimes God sends plague or sickness as judgment against a specific sin to demonstrate his glory and bring people to repentance. Note the famous example of Abram in Egypt, “But the LORD struck Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Abram’s wife Sarai” (Genesis 12:17), or the Babylonian invasion of Judah, “This is what the LORD of Armies says: “I am about to send sword, famine, and plague against them…” (Jeremiah 29:17).

3. God is sovereign over every aspect of life, including sickness. This does not mean all sickness is judgment for a specific sin, and we should never claim to know the mind of the Lord in regards to a specific illness. We can, however, be certain that God works all things for good to the church (Romans 8:28) and that he designs trials, including physical trials, for our spiritual benefit,

“Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials…” (James 1:2).

The takeaway here is God is trustworthy in times of sickness and health. David affirms this in Psalm 30:9-10 as he asks God to heal him,

“What gain is there in my death, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your truth? LORD, listen and be gracious to me; LORD, be my helper.”

When you get sick, trust the Lord with your illness. Consider how he might use it to grow your faith.

4. God will send plagues as judgment on the earth before the return of Christ. The apostle John saw a vision of God’s judgment in Revelation 15 that includes sickness, “Then I saw another great and awe-inspiring sign in heaven: seven angels with the seven last plagues; for with them God’s wrath will be completed” (Revelation 15:1). It would be foolish to think that a specific sickness is a sign of the end of the world, but we do know that sickness is one way God will judge the wicked at the end.

5. The gospel is the eternal cure for all sickness. Jesus’s healing ministry is a clear statement that his work is the beginning of the end for sickness. For example, in Luke 7:22-23 Jesus directly states that his healing work is in fulfillment of Isaiah 61,

“At that time Jesus healed many people of diseases, afflictions, and evil spirits, and he granted sight to many blind people. He replied to them, “Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor are told the good news, and blessed is the one who isn’t offended by me.”

This healing ministry culminated in his resurrection where death, the endgame for sickness, was conquered for good. As Paul proclaims in 1 Corinthians 15:56-57, “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!”

In Revelation 22 the apostle John saw trees of life running along both banks of the river of life in the New Jerusalem. He notes, “The leaves of the tree are for healing the nations, and there will no longer be any curse” (Revelation 22:2, 3a). The healing of the nations is not merely a reference to peace, but also to the removal of all effects of the curse of sin including sickness (note also Revelation 21:4).

This means we have real hope in the midst of sickness, including severe illness and the circumstances surrounding our death. We will be healed forever because of Jesus’s death and resurrection. In this regard we should consider taking Jonathan Edwards’s advice,

“Resolved, To think much, on all occasions, of my dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death.”

Why? To be ready to walk by faith on that last road.