Paul Gets Defensive: God's Sovereignty Found in Galatians

Would the Apostle Paul lie? Some people thought so apparently. Welcome to Galatia. Our next study about God’s sovereignty in salvation is found in Paul’s letter written to the Galatian Church. This was arguably the first letter that Paul wrote, which immediately puts it into an interesting context as we will see. He wrote this around the same time James wrote his letter, though it is thought that Paul’s was indeed later, dating around A.D. 49 or 50.

There is plenty to unpack here and a lot of great truths to consider, so I hope you see the profundity in this letter as I did. On the surface, the references to God’s effectual calling may seem simple and short, however the underlying factors involved just bolster these truths even more.

Right away in Galatians 1:6 (again, keep in mind that this is his first correspondence to anyone in a letter) he states, “I am astonished you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel…”

As I have mentioned before, grace is best understood in God’s calling us to Him. Here we see all of this terminology being used together: “him who called you in the grace of Christ”. What do I mean by that? It is not enough to casually talk about God’s grace when he gets us through a rough day at work. Grace is found to be perfectly understood when we see that God calls us when we could not have called out to Him. Not to mention the crux of Christianity that is found in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. We are given something we do not deserve by someone who did not deserve to suffer for us.

Notice that it all centers on the issue of salvation. Salvation is the most important thing for us to understand. It is the most essential and life-altering piece of truth that we need to grasp. If we have a wrong idea about salvation (i.e. How to get it; where it comes from; what it means; etc.) then nothing else really matters does it? This is why the early Reformers had to articulate the specific theology that clearly articulated the Biblical authority about salvation. We know them as the Doctrines of Grace.

You see, “grace” is more than just a casual term; it is best understood in the deep and precious reality that salvation is by grace alone: God’s calling us to Him to place our faith in Christ. When we see Paul using the phrase “him who called you in the grace of Christ”, he is using the Greek word kaleo for “called”, which means ‘to call by name’, or ‘to invite’. It is the grace of God in action when he calls us. As is normal in the New Testament, this calling is always the effectual call to salvation.

To set this verse in its context let’s understand that Paul’s concern here is clearly that the Galatians are being led astray by people teaching a different gospel…“not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the Gospel of Christ” (vs. 7). Paul is basically saying, “How could you?!” During Paul’s ministry, the tendency and temptation for the redeemed Jews was to fall back into a legalistic righteousness, thinking that their adherence to certain rituals and laws added to their merit in inheriting salvation. When this happens, then grace is no longer grace. Paul knew the seriousness of this sin and had to correct it quickly. Having a deep understanding of this Christ-less philosophy as a recovered Judaizer himself, he knew the consequences of trying to work for salvation.

“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ!”

When we start to place weight in anything other than Christ for our salvation, then we do effectively desert Him. He can only be accepted on an all-or-nothing basis. As Paul says later, “if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for nothing” (2:21). Nonetheless, in Paul’s amazement at their wavering faith, he articulates the truth of God’s effectual call.

There is something else here that we shouldn’t miss and that is that even though Paul knows our faith is a gift of God in His sovereignty, he still implores (and practically begs!) them to come to their senses. This is familiar to what he said to the Corinthians: “We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Cor. 5:20). We are still to yearn for people to come to Christ. We can see Paul’s yearning for the Galatian Church when he launches next into an incredible defense of the Gospel, specifically the doctrine of justification by faith alone, as well as his own apostleship.

As a side note, a Hypercalvinist may say that since God has his elect, then missions and evangelism are not necessary, but that’s a wrong view because God works through His people to accomplish his electing purposes (Rom. 10:14-17). We see this fleshed out in Paul’s aching to see people come to believe in Christ. For someone who gave the best defense for election and God’s sovereign plan in salvation, he sure tried his hardest to convince people of the Way. We will continue to see in the course of this study how these are not conflicting ideas at all.

Here’s what should be confirmed time and time again through our study of God’s work in salvation. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…because we do not know who God’s elect are, we need to preach that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Paul lived this philosophy through his whole ministry and it shouldn’t go unnoticed. He did everything he could to make sure that the Gospel was clearly articulated and understood. He made clear what was divinely revealed to him.

He says in Gal. 1:12, “For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.” He knew what his job and calling was. He knew that the Gospel was the power of God for salvation and that only those who God called would respond positively to it, so when he sees his congregation in Galatia afflicted with their own legal tendencies, he urgently calls them out: “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ…”

Not even Paul knows who God’s elect are, so he makes the general external call to everyone to stop turning away from the true faith and grace in Christ. He is amazed at their quick fading from the truth. He wants them to come back to the understanding of their freedom in Christ from the Law’s 'requirements' for salvation. Let’s not forget the importance of urging people to come to faith in Christ, knowing that the Lord is in ultimate control of that person’s heart, mind and soul.

The second place that we see Paul referring to God’s election is undeniably specific. This is when he is explaining and defending his own apostleship. Remember, this is the first time he has written anyone a letter, so he’s getting it all out: God chose Paul. This is crucial for Paul to make clear as he will continue to write to the churches explaining the Gospel of Jesus Christ to them. They need to know that even Paul was specifically called by God to salvation, which is the only reason Paul has any authority.

Starting in 1:11 and going through 2:10 we see Paul explaining just how much of a legalistic Judaizer he was in his earlier years. Within this recount of his conversion we see in 1:15-16 he says something remarkable, “He […] had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by His grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach among the Gentiles…”

He says two very revealing things here that should not be glossed over:

1- He was chosen (set apart) by God before he was even born.

2- God, then, still called him and revealed His Son to him for salvation.

Is it not enough for Paul to just say that he was chosen by God before he was born? Wouldn’t that be enough to defend God’s sovereignty in his life? Apparently there is a second portion that is absolutely necessary to understand, which is that God was still in control of Paul coming to the point of salvation after he was born. God was in control from (before) the beginning and to the end. His grace is the only – hope – we – have. Even after we are regenerated it is God working in us to will and to work for his good pleasure (Phil. 2:13). It is always the grace of God that allows us to come to Him for salvation and continue living in obedience to Him as Lord.

Let’s just remember for a moment how ruthlessly he sought out and persecuted Christians for their faith. The Book of Acts gives us an amazingly compelling story of his leadership among the Judaizers and how he even stood watch over the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr. Paul was at the top of the Christian’s “Do Not Cross” list. Looking back, Paul knew that he was an evil person, the worst of sinners as he put it, and completely off-center from God’s real plan for salvation. This is exactly why he said in 1 Timothy 1:16, “I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost [sinner], Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.” It all makes sense!

Here in Galatians he makes it clear that his whole conversion was pre-planned by God before Paul was even born. Furthermore, after Paul was born, it was still God who brought Paul to repentance and conversion. God always intervenes first to get our attention in order to turn in repentance and faith. He is so sovereign and in control of everything that He not only has a plan and purpose for every person in the world, but he engineers everything in people’s lives to draw them to Him.

In this specific passage in Galatians it is important to see that Paul is using this groundwork to prove his apostleship to the Galatian Church. He was not lying to anyone about the person he was and the Gospel he was preaching, which seemed to be an area of contention for some people as 1:20 seems to indicate. Furthermore, in 2:9 we see where James, Peter, and John had validated the “grace that was given” to Paul when they “gave the right hand of fellowship to both Paul and Barnabas. This was huge!

In John MacArthur’s commentary he explains that “in the Near East, this represented a solemn vow of friendship and a mark of partnership. This act signified the apostle’s recognition of Paul as a teacher of the true Gospel and a partner in ministry.”

Paul was indeed a new creation because of the grace that was given him by God. In Him we have an incredibly impactful testimony for what God’s grace can really do in someone’s life. For someone as bad as Paul was, it is amazing to see how much God used him after regenerating him to advance the Kingdom of God. He is one of the most familiar authors of the New Testament. Praise be to God for this!

After Paul is done proving himself as a legitimate apostle, called by God directly, he then launches into an amazing defense of Justification by Faith. Again, he is concerned for God’s children and their tendencies to fall back into a legalistic righteousness, thus nullifying the cross of Christ. Paul makes this clear when (and this is where we see yet another indicator to God’s election) he says: “Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?”

Does this sound familiar to John 6:44 or 15:16, or 1 John 4:19? We choose and love God because he first chooses and loves us. Again, later in Galatians 5:8, Paul is asking them why they are hindered from obeying the truth by falling into legalism by saying “this persuasion is not from him who calls you.”

This Greek word in 5:8 for “call” is also Kaleo, which was defined earlier. Being specific and pointed to their sin of legalism, he bolsters his statement with the fact that it is not of God who has called them out of that very sin. It just doesn’t make sense that it would be of God.

In conclusion, we can see that even in Paul’s 1st letter written to a church that needed correction, he simultaneously made clear their specific call from God to salvation a number of times. The beautiful balance is that Paul still urges and begs his people to not turn from God in disobedience. God’s calling is final, but we are to still care about the spiritual condition of those who claim to be believers. We will never know with 100% certainty who God’s elect are at any time. That’s why our ministry is preaching the Gospel to all and calling people to repentance and faith in Christ for their salvation. God works in the inner man in the form of the Holy Spirit.

By God’s grace we are called to Him. Galatians has certainly shown us that. We also saw that Paul confirmed his apostleship and the Doctrine of Justification by Faith by showing how God's grace was manifested in Paul's call. Let’s be thankful for these truths and believe them all.

In His Sovereign Grip,

Ben

P.S. I welcome feedback and discussion on this amazing, yet sometimes difficult, topic!

God's Sovereignty Found In James

I wanted to have somewhat of a structure to which book I go through and in what order, so chronological order made sense and I think it will give an interesting perspective on the whole thing. So then, James is up first.

James was the first book of the New Testament that was penned, which was around the mid-40’s. He was Jesus’ half brother, which Mark 6:3 and Matt. 13:55 indicate.

In James we see two specific references to God’s sovereignty in salvation, affirming the doctrine of election. The first one is found right away in 1:18.

“Out of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.”

One thing I love about this statement is that it doesn’t use the word elect or predestined, etc. Don’t get me wrong, those words are great and not bad, rather they are necessary to understand the full meaning of the doctrine of election, but James is saying it in a simpler way that contributes greatly to the understanding of this doctrine.

Nowadways, we hear more and more about how we have free will and a free choice to do whatever we want and God loves us for who we are, but that is not a proper rendition of the state of the fallen human race. Augustine once said, perhaps with a bit of purposed sarcasm, that “the will is indeed free, but not freed. Free of righteousness, but enslaved to sin” (emphasis mine).

The truth is that as born, depraved sinners, we do not have the ability to choose a Holy God for our redemption and forgiveness. Romans teaches us that there is no one who seeks for God (3:11) because we are all under sin. This is what Augustine meant when he said that we are only free of righteousness, but we are not freed creatures at all. We are enslaved to sin.

James understands this and teaches it to us by saying that out of God’s own will we were brought forth by the word of truth. It had to be God willfully choosing us in order for us to even know that we needed Him in the first place. Without God opening our eyes and hearts we simply cannot see and cannot understand or desire Him. This is made clear many times in Scripture, which we will get to in the upcoming books. That is the purpose of this whole series. For the sake of not sounding too redundant (in my own expression of this doctrine) I will simply let the text defend itself by showing how much Scripture is saturated with this doctrine.

Now, the Greek word for "will" that is used here is βούλομαι. It means “to will deliberately, have a purpose, be minded”; or “of willing as an affection, to desire.” It is by God’s deliberate purpose and desire that he brought us to Him. He made the first move that prompted us to respond in faith.

ἀποκυέω is the Greek word here for "brought". Why do I mention that? The definition means to “bring forth from the womb; to give birth to; to produce.” So, by God’s deliberate purpose he produced us or begat us, through the word of truth. Is it any wonder we are now called children of God? This also reminds me of what Paul said in Romans 10:17, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

This is why we need to get the Gospel right. That is our function as Christians who have the authoritative and living word of God. God uses it to bring his chosen children to repentance and faith in him. Since we do not know who the elect are we preach that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord is saved. Guess who will be the ones that genuinely respond in faith and call on the name of the Lord? The elect. We preach the Gospel and God opens the hearts and eyes of people to respond. It is by His will and grace that we are saved through faith in Christ (Eph. 2:8).

Now, one may say that this particular verse in James does not prove a solid case for the doctrine of election. They may say that some are chosen, but others are left to themselves to choose. However, when we deny that God chooses us for Himself then we end up denying his attributes like having complete omniscience, omnipotence, etc. For more on how these attributes are challenged in light of rejecting election, see my February post “Free Will and the Attributes of God”. God has to choose us in order for many other things, like his very nature and attributes, to be true and consistent with the fact that he is God. Furthermore, we just need to decide whether or not Scripture is our ultimate authority in the matter, rather than our emotions. If we can get to that point, then we will start to approach the text in an appropriate and pure way.

With that said, let’s see what else the text in James says. We see later in 2:5 the second reference to God’s sovereignty in salvation. When talking about the sin of partiality based on money and status, James says, “Has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?”

Again, I love that this series will cover all the references to God’s sovereignty because it will show itself in indirect ways, not always like a direct defense of God’s sovereignty as found in Romans 8 and 9 by the Apostle Paul.

Here James is covering a topic that is dealing with the sin of partiality and while he is doing so he asks them “Has not God chosen those who are poor…?” in a way that shows that his readers know this to be common knowledge. It’s almost rhetorical. So while he is teaching them a separate lesson he is also affirming the fact that God chooses us. This is great to see this language come up in other topics of discussion because it shows its general acceptance among the authors and readers anyway. Granted, not all believers back in the days of the apostles had an easy time accepting this doctrine either, which is exactly why Paul gave such a strong defense for it in Romans.

However, here in James we see him mentioning it as obvious: “Brothers, has not God chosen…?”

The Greek word for "choose" in this verse is ἐκλέγομαι and it is used in the NT about 20 times according to a NT Greek lexicon I found online. This is a little more than my own count I made of the English Standard Version, which was closer to 13. However, this is the beauty of going to the Greek because you can see which Greek words are used in which ways. Perhaps the additional counts the lexicon gave were not specific to election, but to someone else picking or selecting something, which is also how this word is used. Does this contradict itself to mean that the word is not always referring to God’s sovereign choosing? No. In fact, it just makes the issue all the more clear.

The word is intended to portray a specific “picking or choosing out for one’s self”. You could use this word when describing someone selecting which apples they want out of the apple bucket in the produce section, which is exactly why the word is used. It shows a specific meaning when used in the context of James 2:5.

“Brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?”

All throughout Scripture we will see how it constantly mentions God’s choosing us and calling us to Him. It is a beautiful doctrine that only encourages a proper understanding of evangelism and gives us a firm assurance of our salvation because it was God’s plan all along.

The Book of James gave us only two instances and already the challenge is upon us: Do we believe it?

Stay tuned for our next book in its proper chronological order: 1st Thessalonians!

How Grace Is Best Understood

Okay, so I made it through the entire New Testament and looked (and noted) each verse or passage that talked about, or referred to, either directly or indirectly, the topic of predestination and the doctrine of election. It’s been a great lesson. Aside from the specific things that I learned, it just helps to have something specific to be studying because I end up looking forward to when I can sit down again and study the Bible. We all want to say that, right? We all want to be able to want to study, but we tend to have a hard time making the time. Don’t worry, I get there, too, from time to time, which is exactly why I continue giving myself something to specifically study.

Since I had a hard time consistently staying in the Word, I would come up with something that I really didn’t know much about (which is a lot, we will come to find out) and dedicate myself to just flip through the Bible looking for answers. Man, I can’t tell you enough how this is such a great way to study. You really get to know your Bible. I share this as an encouragement to anyone trying to find a way to get in and get deep.

Now, the topic at hand is one that will give us plenty to look at. We’ll take each book as it was chronologically written and go from there. To start this wonderful topic I’m going to give an overall look at how much the New Testament is saturated with God’s willful choice in our salvation. For a look at how we can reconcile human responsibility and God’s calling and electing, take a look at a post I posted earlier this year, titled “Free Will & The Attributes of God”. I covered some work from Calvin who really does a fantastic job of illustrating how all of these things can work together. We are responsible for our rejecting God, yet we rely solely on Him for wanting Him as well.

For the time being, we can take a look at how clearly the NT works together to make God’s choosing known, in many aspects. When I went through the NT I looked for specific words like: calling, elect, predestination, chosen, appointed, etc. I also kept track of how many times each book had references to God’s plan in election. Additionally, I noted where God’s clear and purposed sovereignty was at play in other issues besides salvation because it further validates that God is in fact in control of all things.

By my count, there are approximately 157 references to this doctrine. The word called is used about 44 times; chosen is used about 14 times; elect about 12 times; predestine, 8 times; appoint, about 5 times. The word called is clearly the favorite and it always refers to God’s effectual calling, meaning that when he calls, we will respond. It is not a hopeful and wishful calling, it is a meaningful and authoritative calling that will lead to someone’s salvation. Calvin refers to this as Irresistible Grace.

Here’s some other interesting stats on which books had the most to say about election:

Not surprisingly, Romans came in with the most references, numbering at 24. John and Acts both had 16; Luke had 15; 1st Corinthians had 14; Matthew had 13; and almost every other book had anywhere from 3 to 8 references. The only books that really didn’t speak about, or reference this topic, was 2nd Corinthians, Hebrews, Philemon, and 1st and 3rd John. Basically, about 80% of the books in the NT speak of God’s effectual calling and predestination. Wow. Being that these are various authors at various times in history is remarkable.

Aside from all of that, we haven’t even touched the OT, either, and there is plenty there as well. This doctrine is difficult to grasp and it makes many people angry, but the more you study it and realize what it really means to believe it or not, then you develop an understanding of the paradox and a faith that God is in control and not everything can be broken down to a science. However, there is plenty in the Bible to show us how it works and what it means.

The best thing we could probably take away from this doctrine is that God has chosen His elect, but we do not know who the elect are. Therefore, we preach that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. We are called to preach the Gospel to all nations and to make sure we are making the Gospel clear and correctly handling the word of truth as indicated in 2 Timothy 2:15.

God is in charge of who comes to Him, ultimately. This reduces our need to be creative in filling churches and getting people to conform to outward acts of piety. This allows us to focus on nothing more than getting the message of the Gospel right: we are a depraved and sinful people headed for Hell, in need of a Lord and Savior to rescue us from our sins and for us to be obedient to Him. Without Christ we are nothing. With him we live and move and have our being and it is His grace working in us that allows us to will and act for His good pleasure (Acts 17:28 & Phil. 2:13).

The sovereignty of God in salvation is so remarkable and unfathomably gracious, that it is in fact the only way that grace can be rightly understood. I hope you’ll find some encouragement to dig deep yourself and find the richness of this doctrine of election that is at work behind the scenes of what we, as the Church, do.

The first book I'll be looking at is James and we'll see what he had to say about God's calling us to Him. Stay tuned!

Conservative Reformed Theological Cussers

Yep, you read that title right. I see an issue in the young “reformed” generation today. Namely, that they love the label, but they don’t know what it means. How can I say that? By the methodologies and lifestyles that are employed and encouraged from behind some of the pulpits themselves.

Here’s the contradiction that I see in its simplest definition: People are oftentimes professing to be reformed in their theology and proponents of biblical teachers such as Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Spurgeon, C.S. Lewis, etc., yet have a terribly shallow and oftentimes crude lifestyle. Now, the emphasis here is not on whether or not they are approving of the right scholars that I just mentioned, although that can reveal a lot, but the emphasis is that it is not enough to read them and be able to talk about them. Anyone who knows just what these great theologians taught will know that it was the doctrines of grace and the entire revelation of the Bible as set forth from the Bible. Their desire was to see God glorified and understood in His Word. Their desire was for people to understand the grace of God as revealed in Scripture.

Martin Luther started the Great Reformation by nailing his 95 Theses to the wooden door of the Wittenberg Church in Wittenberg, Germany. Someone started passing out copies and the rest is history. Then John Calvin articulated the very things that the Bible taught and how it stood in stark contrast to the traditional Roman Catholic Church, affirming Luther’s stance on unmerited grace. He penned out his Institutes of the Christian Religion, which has been a major source of reformed theology to this day. The teachings of these men were based on the unmerited grace of God and not on the works of men in order to merit any form of forgiveness or salvation, which is what the Roman Catholic church teaches to this day. In an age where the true church and true doctrine were obscured and misused, they were the forerunners in teaching and preaching the Bible solely and clearly.

Reformed theology has become more and more popular with the younger generation because of its solid foundation, clear teachings and academic nature. Going back to the source is always a good way to find out whether someone is truly a biblical teacher. This is exciting to see, yet at the same time it is sometimes confusing because while there is excitement to learn about what these men taught from Scripture, there also seems to be a heightened desire to find comfort and "redeeming value" in worldly passions and sometimes sinful, cultural lifestyles. What do I mean by that?

In a nutshell, I sense a desire for knowledge, but a lack of desire for holiness. I have noticed an interest in theology, but a disinterest in purity. I see reformed theological language and jargon being used along with profane, irreverent language and jargon. I see people living by the motto, “How close can I get without touching it”, versus, “How far can I get away from it”. As the apostle Paul would often say…my brothers, this should not be.

To boil this down even more, I see a misunderstanding of Christian freedom being used all over the place. 1 Peter 2:16 says, “Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.”

So, why is there this greater interest in old Reformers along with greater interest in cultural and wordly activites that are supposedly used as tools to reaching the lost? There is this funny blend of philosophically-bent, missional-minded outreach stuff that are methods used by the popular church planters nowadays that are really undermining what they claim to believe...reformed doctrine. How so? Read on.

What I would like to do by starting this topic is to show how studying reformed theology and knowing church history does not make you a better Christian just because you know it. If you can’t live in a way that honors the Lord Jesus before others and even in secret, then you may have a head full of knowledge that is no better than a Pharisee’s…hypocritical. That is the issue. The fame of Jesus Christ is at stake in our conduct, so it needs to be honoring and glorifying to Him.

Second, as John MacArthur has recently started posting on the Grace To You blog on this same topic (unbeknownst to me when I started writing this) he has made the same important points that being reformed means you are constantly reforming, or becoming more like Christ. Additionally, it is inconsistent when you say you are reformed, which means believing the doctrines of grace that involve God’s sovereign plan in election, and then write books about how cool and hip you need to be in modern culture in order to effectively reach people for Christ. So, which is it? What really draws people to Christ? God’s efficacious call, or our tactful use of cultural paraphernalia? Inconsistencies abound in this young, missional-minded church-planting movement. Not all, but largely.

Aside from the essential understanding of the doctrines of grace, reformed theology is nothing more than biblical theology. With that comes a demand for obedience to Christ in all aspects of life. Having right doctrine is foundational and crucial, but living a pure life is just as important. You don’t pick one or the other. Plus, the doctrines that reformed leaders often taught were oftentimes centered on certain things like unmerited grace, as I already pointed out. This doesn’t mean that the rest of the Bible was not as important to them.

In a period where the Roman Catholic Church was the only recognized church and clearly irreverent and unbiblical in its existence as a majority, people like Luther and Calvin had to show how the Catholic’s view of salvation was inherently wrong. That was what they fought for so much. They wanted people to take the Bible as their only source of divine revelation because that’s what it is. Only God could forgive sins and only God could cause someone to have the faith to trust in Him. Sola Scriptura.

So, while they specifically challenged things like the Roman Catholic’s belief in justification and salvation, they also taught that the Bible needs to be loved and studied in order to know it and learn how to be obedient to the God of the Bible that demands it.

What we don’t want to do is talk about intellectual and theological topics concerning God’s grace and how loving he is, but fail to see how that actually gets fleshed out. God’s grace is not to be used as a crutch or a scapegoat. God’s grace is what calls us to Him when we wouldn’t have come to Him ourselves. It is our salvation. When we are regenerated by the Holy Spirit, then we are now living for Christ and not for the flesh. Freedom in Christ is still meant to exist within the realm of obedience to his commands as 1 John is so good to lay out. Just take a quick browse through that book. You won’t come out the same.

Regarding the study of reformed theology, we should never take it as taught by the great reformers as some kind of philosophical or philological knowledge that provides us with intellectual stamina. We shouldn’t study it just to look as though we are more knowledgeable of the Church and have more wisdom in the things of God. This would be Pharisaical.

We should study the Bible for what it is and see what it was that the reformers fought for, so that we have an understanding and appreciation for the church we have today. The Bible then helps us learn what God’s perfect and pleasing will is. It teaches us how to be obedient to him and how to live a life of holiness and purity that stands out in a world full of corruption. It teaches us about our original depraved nature and how to repent of our sins and call upon the name of the Lord for salvation.

I have to constantly remind myself that I will only be effective for Christ if I am humble and willing to learn and willing to be corrected. I have certain friends in my life that have literally asked me, “What were you thinking?!” They keep me accountable to my conduct at all times and whether or not I am a good reflection of God’s grace in the life of a redeemed sinner. We all need these reminders.

I also write from a personal perspective on this issue of studying reformed theology because I DO like to study it. I like to know how history went down and who did what. I like to know just what caused the splits in the church back then and how we have denominations today. The more I know about it, the more I appreciate what we have today and how available the Bible is. It helps me understand what people like Augustine, Luther and Calvin actually taught when I read their actual material. I love to study the doctrines of grace and understand them to where I can teach them. It changes you when you really grasp the depth and breadth of grace.

I do this so that I am not building a belief or argument based on something I have heard someone else say. I read their books so I know that I understand for myself what they taught and then I can compare that with what the Bible teaches to see if it lines up. This is not to say that I am the final authority on their accuracy, but I must allow the Holy Spirit to work in me as I discern these writings. It is especially important that I stay in the Word and study it just as much (and more!) while I read these other sources because the Bible is what nurtures our soul and teaches us discernment and has final authority in all matters.

With that said, let me address the first issue I stated at the beginning. Oftentimes, people may have a right understanding of doctrine, but a wrong motivation for knowing it, thus leading to a bad understanding of our responsibilities as Christians. I won’t go into a full break down of Calvin’s five points that he belabored in his Institutes because that is not what this is necessarily about. I will say that if you know them and believe them, then that’s great (I do, too!), but do we also focus on the holiness that God has called us to?

Do we think that knowing and affirming the doctrine of election and predestination and perseverance of the saints is enough? Do we think that using phrases like ‘unmerited grace’ and ‘substitutionary atonement’ is something that trumps our need to know how to hold back our tongue or live in a way that doesn’t cause someone else with weaker faith to stumble? Do we think that by quoting old reformers and puritans and pastors in our sermons will make us better at holding sway with people?

If anything, I want this blog post to remind people about the seriousness of purity in all aspects of life, especially language. I have seen a large disregard for purity in language by many believers and it makes me sad because it certainly does go against what we’re taught in Scripture.

As I looked up BibleGateway.com today I saw their verse of the day on the home page. It was James 1:21 and it is a great way to start this topic: “Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.”

We should put away the wickedness and receive the Word, which can save our souls. The things we say are so revealing in who we are as people. Luke 6:45 says that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. It is the fruit that reveals the root of our heart.

Are we full of grace and seasoned with salt? Our words will tell. Are we full of carelessness and seasoned with impurity. Our words will tell that, too. Colossians 4:5-6 says: “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”

James 3 also talks about the danger of the tongue and how serious it is. It addresses the issue of people who bless the Lord with their language and then curse someone else with it. Pay attention to the language used here in James 3:5b-12:

“How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.”

Just before this passage, it starts with saying that not many people should presume to be teachers because the tongue is such a delicate area that many people stumble in controlling. Think about it, there are some things (sins) that some people will struggle with that others maybe won’t. There are certain things that are harder for some people to deal with than others, but every single one of us has said something we regret, or said things that have been inherently sinful, or evil. Verse 2b says, “If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.” We all know it is hard to say the right things at times, but there is an expectation of purity we are to maintain.

Since leaders will be judged with a higher level of strictness, then someone should not want to be a leader if they can’t bridle their tongue (James 3:1). Why? Because we will be misrepresenting Christ and his call to be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16).

Look at Ephesians 4. In verse 17 it starts talking about how we have new standards as new creations living for Christ in a new life. It makes this clear by emphasizing how the old way of life was anything but living for Christ. In verse 17 it says that we must no longer live like the Gentiles do because they are futile in their minds. Let’s look at what else Paul says here:

“They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.”

He then shows us the difference of how we should be:

“But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

The common comeback I have heard from people who do not feel that swearing is necessarily a bad thing is: How could one or two measly words offend Christ when there are such bigger issues at stake? How do we know what a swear word really is? Hey, even the apostle Paul used language that is equivalent to the s-word!

Really? He did? Let me help you understand that it wasn’t exactly the same. Paul wouldn’t write here in Ephesians that corruptive talk should not come from our mouths and then use it in another letter to someone else. This is the Holy Bible we’re talking about here. The words of Paul were inspired by the Holy Spirit, Himself! For someone to use that excuse to excuse their own profanities is at a whole new low in Christian living.

The verse that I am mentioning here is Philippians 3:8: “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.”

I haven’t done the word study on it myself, but the common answer you find when you do a preliminary search on it is that the word can be associated to cow manure, so people say “Oh, boy! Paul was practically saying the s-word!” No. No he wasn’t. Notice that the words ‘cow manure’ are much different than the word you are trying to excuse. Please get over yourself and place more concern in the Lord’s standards and not your own. Capisci?

Now that that’s settled, let’s move on in Ephesians. Continuing in verses 29 and 30, he says:

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

Here’s a question for you: Does not the very nature of things tell you that certain four letter words are more offensive than others? Is it not obvious that even the unbelieving world will sometimes apologize for their “french” because they know it is harsh language they sometimes use? Doesn’t the fact that a public school system who runs the “Dare Not To Swear” campaign tell you that there is a corruptive nature to certain language that should not be seen among school children, let alone the body of Christ? Come on!

“If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.” –James 1:26

The first thing that people notice about us and make impressions by is how we appear and then how we speak. Remember the old joke?

“Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright ... until you hear them speak.”

This translates perfectly into our Christian living as well. We can often appear pure, but once we speak we reveal the true nature of our spirit. This is how we communicate. We speak in order to articulate what is being felt and conjugated within us. Language is no light matter. It reveals something.

If you still aren't convinced that you can effectively label certain words as "swear words", then let me set the standard based on what the Bible says is appropriate or not. Consider the name of God, Himself. Consider the name of Jesus. Now consider Exodus 20:7, "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain."

It depends on how we evoke and use the name of God that classifies it as reverent, or in vain. And it is a big deal.

Do you want another example? The KJV says in six different places this phrase: "pisseth against the wall". It is referring to King Saul when he was in a cave and searching for David and it is referenced in a number of ways. This particular word, though, is considered a swear word by many. I, for one, never use this word because it carries that cursing weight to it (in my opinion), but is it any better for me to say that someone "ticked me off"? I am still using the word in vain, which has a negative and sinful connotation to it, grieving the Holy Spirit no doubt.

That is the standard. Are we speaking in vain in any way? Look, some words can only be used as swear words and we certainly should not be using them. They are offensive to believers and non-believers alike and it is even culturally abohorred in most public settings where decency and a moderate level of professionalism is expected. We need to be careful how we use our every word, for we will certainly be held accountable for every careless word we speak (Matt. 12:36).

Considering all of this leads me to make certain decisions about leaders I may have listened to in the past. I hate to pick on just one person, but Mark Driscoll has, unfortunately, made many crude and profane jokes in his sermons out of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA. To his credit, he has given good sermons as well. Being from the Seattle area, I have been able to go there before and listen for myself.

Unfortunately, he has certainly fell short of the basic qualifications of a real pastor, which is to be pure in conduct and above reproach. A pastor or an elder are required to have certain characteristics that set them apart as leaders of God’s people. Why? So the people resemble them, who resemble Christ, and are more obedient to God.

Titus 1:9 says, “He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.”

Look, if a pastor purposely swears from behind the pulpit and makes crude jokes, then he has failed his purpose in setting an example for the body of believers in his good conduct. If he can’t take seriously what the Bible says about the tongue, then how do we know he will accurately view the rest of the Bible? These are tough questions that need to be asked.

This verse in Titus says that “he must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine.” Ironically, Mark just wrote a book called Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe. I haven’t read it, so I have no comment on the book, but for someone who purports that he knows what doctrines we should believe, I would certainly expect a better proof in his use of language, which the trustworthy Word we have been taught says to keep pure.

His past use of loose language shows immaturity, lack of tact, and irresponsibility at the most fundamental and basic levels. For this reason, I don’t look to Mark for other spiritual help in understanding the Bible because he has proven that he doesn’t understand simple things, so how can he take me deep? There are plenty of other teachers out there that can help me in understanding the Bible, so why bother with a loose-lip?

For those who don’t know, this pastor was dubbed “Mark, the cussing pastor” and I believe it was after a particular sermon he gave that lasted only a few minutes and went something like this:

“You know that if right now the earth ended, there would be billions upon billions of people on this earth who would go to hell and nobody here gives a s***. In fact, you probably care more about the fact that I said the word s*** than about those people.”

This was just stupid. He was trying to make a point about how we can make the wrong issues too big or too little. So, now we’ll rate sins and say that swearing is no big deal compared to the fact that billions of sinners will go to hell if the world ended today. That doesn’t make sense. Will you convince the world they need forgiveness of sins by sinning in your gospel presentation? This was an incredibly immature and irreverent way to make a point that people are going to hell. We already know that people will. He accomplished nothing but getting a devastating title for someone who is supposed to be above reproach as a pastor of God’s Church.

He also gave credence to the fact that swearing is okay, by doing that. Mark is certainly not the example that people need for their life, at least in this area. Since then, swearing has been a joke among many young evangelicals who think they have a faith that honors God and that scares me. I personally know of people, however, who have been changed by his teaching in general and for that I am thankful, but I have a valid fear that in the process they will also degrade in these matters I just mentioned.

To his credit, Driscoll has apologized for his lack of humility and cursing from behind the pulpit and many people seem impressed by this. I am also glad he has taken some of those things back. Again, though, people should not presume to be leaders because they are called to a higher level of accountability. We cannot escape the call to be pure in speech and conduct. This kind of behavior legitimately disqualifies himself and others as pastors. I know he’s not perfect and he admits to it, but if Paul didn’t think there was a reason to have certain standards for preachers, then he wouldn’t be so specific to Titus and Timothy and other churches about the issue. Pastors are not to be irreverent, left and right, and then get to move on if they apologize for it, while being heralded as being humble when they do. It doesn't work that way. Sure, let him teach on the side and encourage people in areas that he is strong in, but being a pastor of a church is another ballgame that he doesn’t measure up to, biblically, from what we have seen in the past and what he has written in some of his books.

Remember, Paul told the Colossians that in order to walk in wisdom towards outsiders you need to always be gracious and have your speech seasoned with salt…not swearing. The world doesn’t need to hear us swear to know that we are like them. That’s the exact opposite of what they need from us (Col. 4:5-6). Driscoll and the new young “reformed” generation thinks that the more you know about pop culture and media, then the better you can evangelize. Again, for someone who claims to know and uphold reformed theology, which includes God’s electing in salvation, he sure does place a lot of weight in extra biblical knowledge (worldly knowledge) in order to capture the imaginations of the unsaved. Truly, they contradict themselves and deceive themselves if they really think they are reformed in their theology.

Look at what Paul told his young understudy, Timothy: “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” (1 Timothy 4:12). Enough said.

Here’s a few other reminders from King Solomon’s works in Proverbs:

Proverbs 10:31: “The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off.”

Proverbs 21:23: “Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.”

Proverbs 15:2: “The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly.”

I cannot say enough about how important it is to consider everything you say and make sure that it is something that people recognize as being abnormally seasoned with salt, compared to the world. A house divided against itself cannot stand, so do not use evil language as a way to try and spread light. It doesn’t work. It only spreads confusion and a lack of spiritual integrity and depth that this world needs…inside and outside the Church.

Do you consider yourself reformed? Then prove it by your actions that produce a hundred times the fruit in other lives. Show it through your pure speech and conduct. Affirm it by your understanding of Scriptures, which leads to Godly character and obedience.

In John MacArthur’s most recent blog post on GTY.org he said in regards to the young and immature actions of ‘reformed’ Christians:

“Those who exhibit such behavior are out of their element claiming to be Reformed. Maturity is a necessary virtue for those who would be truly effective in ministry. "Solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil" (Hebrews 5:14). That is a desirable—and honorable—goal: Strive for it.”

Let us not be like the Pharisees who were shut up with Jesus’ powerful and humbling words: “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God?”

God bless! Now zip it.

Avoid Neglecting and Rejecting God's Electing

Catchy title, I know. Probably on the verge of being annoyingly easy to remember. I seem to keep coming back to this topic because the more I study the Bible on any given topic, or the more I just read through Paul’s letters to the various churches and church leaders, I can’t help but realize just how foundational this whole issue of election, or God’s sovereign plan in salvation, works. I mean, when you want to get brutally honest with yourself and allow yourself to be changed by the Holy Spirit, then you have to be ready to face up to the fact that accepting what the Bible says about salvation affects your view on almost everything else.

Recently, we dissected Matthew 7:6 and how we shouldn’t cast our pearls to pigs. We found out that evangelizing does have its limits and that we are not always supposed to pursue someone who rejects the truth of God’s word. That particular passage only makes sense when considered in the light of God’s electing purpose in salvation. When God is in control of who accepts or rejects his message, then it completely removes the necessity of all human effort of convincing stubborn people. This doesn’t mean we don’t put forth any effort, which should be obvious as we should be willing to do the work of an evangelist as Paul instructed Timothy (2 Tim. 4:5), but we do need to realize that it isn’t us that does the real convicting and persuading.

You see, our understanding of this issue will completely change our approach to evangelism and our level of effort involved in making the Gospel something that people can accept. There is a very strange, twisted concept that seems to prevail in evangelical Christian thinking in that we want to “do the right thing” by sharing Jesus with people and in so doing, find a way (any way!) to “reach through to people” who normally wouldn’t ever have anything to do with God. Bear with me and think through this for a second… We can tend to get so excited about the possibility of the end (seeing someone place their faith in Christ, if even that), that we completely disregard the means of salvation altogether (how they get to a genuine, saving faith).

It’s like there exists this subtle philosophy that the average Christian mind has bought into, that the Gospel needs our help in order to make itself something that unregenerate people will warm up to and get excited about. It’s almost like all we do is trick people into “accepting” Christianity as viable. We have to find a way to make people want it, right? Again, we get this silly notion that all along, people of every other century has gotten it wrong and that Christianity really is pretty hip and cool and we refuse to draw lines in the sand that define what a Christian really is. We’re supposed to engage our culture, right?

After all, what could be better than seeing someone who has always rejected the Church and the Gospel, actually show up to church and sing our songs and play in our worship band? What could be better than seeing people who felt like outcasts and sinners because of their loose lifestyles, become embraced and finally welcomed and worthy enough to join the church as they are? What could be better than the church seeing growth and the Gospel finding new ways to be presented to people who hate it? What could be better than selfish people suddenly wanting to change the world and eradicate world hunger and reduce the local homeless population?

Let me ask you this: What could be worse than a false conversion? The answer? Nothing.

The truth is this: Only God can effectually bring someone to the point of articulating their desire to place their faith in Christ and submit themselves to being obedient to Him. This is called regeneration. If we write books, run programs and give lectures and seminars on how to evangelize without acknowledging God’s exclusive role in actually making it entirely possible to draw someone in the first place (John 6:65), then we are guilty of misunderstanding and misapplying Scripture and in danger of (if not already guilty of) pushing a shallow, or entirely false, gospel.

However long it takes, I’m going to look at each book in the New Testament, starting with Paul’s letters, and see if they mention anything about God’s sovereignty in salvation. This would include anything about election, predestination, calling the elect, etc. By the way, this is what the real definition of grace is. Grace is only completely and best understood when you come to grips with election. A lot of people throw grace around like a “get out of jail for free” card, or use the terms mercy and grace interchangeably, but it’s more than that. Grace is not just forgiveness of sins. That is primarily God’s mercy. God’s grace is only defined in his initiating act of drawing his elect to Him when they had no chance or hope of doing it on their own.

For a thorough look at how to reconcile human responsibility and God’s acting in election, see “Free Will and the Attributes of God” which I wrote earlier this year. I, in no way, want to give the impression that people are not responsible for their rejecting the Gospel just because they aren’t elected. We do have our own decisions to make and we are responsible for them, but we are never outside of God’s control at the same time.

I hope you’ll come back to see just how much the apostle Paul spoke about this topic of unmerited grace and what it means for us. Please feel free to post questions and arguments if you feel I have not grasped Scripture entirely in an area regarding this. As always, use tact and try to take the personal stings out of this sensitive topic. As my favorite verse says in Proverbs 27:17, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”

See you soon!