Theological Triage

Please feel free to respond to this blog post.  I am sitting here sick.  BLAH!  So I hope my thoughts come out in some kind of coherent way.  My daughter turned on the last episode of Manifest, one of our favorite shows this fall.  I’m watching it for the second time.

So let me preface my remarks with this…I really like this show!!  And I will continue to watch it.

With that said, I want to keep encouraging you to think critically as you take in the “entertainment” of this world.  So, as I watch, here is where I get a little frustrated with the Enemy…the world, my flesh, and the devil.

The main character was going to say “yes” to a marriage proposal, but then her plane “disappeared” for 5 years.  Her finance moved on thinking she was dead.  But now that she is back, he is rethinking his marriage since her “death”.

In the season finale (spoiler alert) he is unconscious in ICU, and the main character begs “the callings” to save him.  She later refers to being on her knees praying for his healing.

These things are so subtle.  I find myself wanting the main character and her former fiance to get together.  How romantic!  Right?   But then he would have to break his marriage vows.  But he thought she was dead.  So does “Til death us do part” give him a loophole in his marriage.  Of course not, but do you see how subtly the enemy moves our perspective?

Was she praying to God?  Of course not.  The calling is very inconsistent with the true God, but there is just a small enough spin to have us cheering for this divine being to intercede.  If we are not careful, we will impose our preconceived ideas and think that they really are praying to God.  But consider unbelievers watching the show.  They are going to put any qualities these writers give to “the Calling” to our Heavenly Father.

Be. Aware.     Know. the. Truth.      Practice. Discernment.

What is salvation?

As we continue our 104-day Challenge through the New City Catechism, we are reading a great deal about what it means to be “saved.”  What is faith in Christ?  Where does that faith come from?  These are very interesting questions, and it is important that we understand this process.

I grew up knowing that I should be “saved.”  I even took it further to know that I needed to be “saved” from sin.  I knew that I was a sinner in need of forgiveness, and in getting saved, Jesus would forgive all of my sin.

I also learned the big word “justification.”  I learned that by accepting Jesus, I would be justified or declared righteous before God.

This is where salvation stopped in my understanding.  I heard the Gospel.  I accepted the Gospel.  Jesus forgave me. Salvation.

So when I was challenged with the idea of living the Gospel each day, and allowing the Gospel to intersect with every facet of my life, I was quite perplexed.  I was saved.  That is what the Gospel is for, right?

No, it is actually much than that.  Salvation is justification, sanctification and glorification.  We are saved from the penalty of sin (justificiation) because of the Gospel.  We grow in righteousness through the Spirit working in us (sanctification) because of the Gospel.  And one day, we will be with Christ in heaven (glorification) because of the Gospel.

The entire process is salvation.  The entire process is made possible only through the Gospel message, person and work of Jesus Christ.  This is how I can live the Gospel each day.

 

Who is our Redeemer?

Recently our family went to see the new movie “A Wrinkle In Time.”   This is a book that I read in elementary school.   (In retrospect, I am surprised that my Christian school allowed a New Age book to be on the booklist.)  I loved the book when I read it, but that was about 35 years ago.  I didn’t remember much about it.

My daughter read the book in school last year and did a project on it.  She loved the book, too, and was very excited about the movie.  So we went.

Now, this blog is NOT about a movie review.  Let me preface my comments with this.  I love fantasy movies, and my parents taught me well how to separate fantasy from reality.  I do not think that my daughter was corrupted by the book or the movie.  It is a fun, fantastical story.

However, I left the movie with a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.  The movie focuses on a young girl who is searching the universe for her missing father.  She is shy and awkward with very little self-confidence.  The movie explores her journey to self-acceptance.

The sick feeling that I had came from the idea that our society has once again found a way to subtly suggest that there is a redeemer other than Jesus Christ.  This young girl reached deep within herself and found the power to conquer the universe and save her father.  When stated in those words, it sounds like she is being deified.  It reinforces the notion that we all have good within us, and we can muster up the power and ability to save ourselves.

It makes an inspiring fantasy and an enjoyable read.  But it is imperative that we identify it as nothing more than that.   It is not truth.  The Truth is that there is only One Redeemer, and that is Jesus Christ.

We are nearing the end of part one of our journeys through the “New City Catechism.”  Over the last weeks we have learned that God created man.  Man rejected God bringing death and an irreparable relationship with Him.  But now, we see that there is hope through a Redeemer, ONE Redeemer, Jesus Christ.  Part two will break this down for us and give us the handles to embrace the truths of Jesus Christ’s work.

Keep pressing on!

Legalism – Good or Bad?

I grew up in legalistic environments.  Perhaps you can relate.   My Christian world was more about the list of do’s and don’ts than it was about a relationship with Jesus Christ.  As I grew older, more and more people were breaking away from these environments and the talking point was freedom in Christ.  It was a good move…for the most part.  Some not only abandoned legalism, but they also took steps to abandoning the Law of God.  The latter is not a good move.

One of the catechisms we are looking at this week asks this question.  “Since no one can keep the law, what is its purpose?”

There is a purpose for the Law of God, and it is a detriment to us if we abandon it.  Its purpose is so that we can identify the divide between us and God.  God is holy.  He is perfect.  We must also be perfect and holy to be in His presence, but the Law reveals to us that this is impossible.  None of us can keep the full law.  Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

The only thing that makes a relationship with God possible is the total perfection, holiness, and sinlessness that we can receive from Jesus Christ.  We will come to this soon in our catechisms.  But for now, let’s take note that living in the freedom of Christ is not same as throwing out the Law of God.

Taking It To The Next Level

As I was going through the catechisms with a group of ladies I meet with regularly, we came to these about the 10 commandments, and the following question was raised.  “Do you really seek to follow the 10 commandments?  After all, they are under the law, and Jesus replaced the law.”

It is a fair question, so I presented a challenge to the group.  I asked them to take the next week to see if the New Testament and teachings of Christ supported each of the 10 commandments.  Can you guess what they found?

Yes, Jesus’ teachings support the 10 commandments.  Not only do they support the 10 commandments, Jesus takes them to the next level.

For instance, do not murder.  Look at what Jesus says in Matthew 5:21-22:

²¹ “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ ²² But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.

Let’s take murder off the table for a moment.  Jesus says that if you are even angry with someone, you are guilty.  If you call someone an idiot, you are guilty.  OUCH!  This hits all of us.  We may think that because we are not murderers that we are in the clear, but Jesus expects us to take it to the next level pursuing a life of holiness and blamelessness.

The point of the law, as we will continue to see, is to show us how desperately we fall short of holiness and perfection.  We are without hope when it comes to our sin, except for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

What is Sabbath?

As we go through the 10 commandments in our 104-day challenge, I wanted to take some time to talk about “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.”

The Sabbath is a great study for you to do.   Last year, I spent time looking at this subject.  I used Priscilla Schrier’s study “Breathe” as a starting point.

Whenever I thought of “Sabbath” I would get very discouraged for two reasons.  First, I am a workaholic.  It is not just that I work all the time.  Work is like a drug for me.  I go through withdrawals when work slows down, and I don’t know what to do with myself.  This. Is. Not. Good.   As a matter of fact, it is sin, and I have prayed that God would forgive me and help me to be transformed in this area.

Second, when I think of Sabbath, I think of doing nothing…absolutely nothing.  I do not rest when I am doing nothing.  The thought alone stresses me out!  😉   So I like the answer to this question today.  “…we spend time in public and private worship of God, rest from routine employment, serve the Lord and others, and so anticipate the eternal Sabbath.”

The point is not to sit around and do nothing.  The point is that we are refreshed.   We rest from routine employment.  But we also worship God.  We serve the Lord.  How do you do these things?  What can you do that refreshes you?  Do that.

I like to read, scrapbook, quilt, put puzzles together, etc.  Yesterday was my “day off.”   I took a few hours in the afternoon to sit down a read a book.  It was very refreshing!  I do love to read fiction, and I often do, but yesterday, I chose a book that talks about serving God by effectively serving His people.   Even though it was related to my ministry, it was still refreshing.

My point is this…Sabbath is not just sitting quietly and emptying your mind like a type of yoga.  It is refreshing and refilling yourself for what God has called you to do.  (And for some of you this might be sitting quietly and emptying your mind.)  I would love to hear your thoughts on the Sabbath, and perhaps you would share with us how you remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.

Nobody’s Perfect

I hope you are enjoying your studies in our 104-day challenge!  There is so much to be learned about God and His Word!

Question 7 asks, “What does the law of God require?”  The answer is not at all encouraging.   It requires perfection.  Perpetual obedience.  Generally following God’s commands is not good enough.  Doing what is right most of the time is not enough.  And in Romans, we find that the punishment for this lack of perfection is death.

That seems harsh, or as our culture would exclaim, “INTOLERABLE!  We must have tolerance.  We must accept the fact that people are not perfect and be patient as they journey toward knowing their true selves.”

This could not be further from the truth.  God created all that exists.  God is the God of all things.  He, and only He has the right to set the rules, and He has decided that His law requires perfection.  Obedience without end.  When we can grasp this concept, and submit to His authority, then we have come to a place where we can accept His solution.

What is the solution to the law?  Grace.  God knows that it is impossible for us to attain perfection, therefore, He does not expect perfection…from us.  Rather, He has provided a perfect substitute in Jesus Christ.

If you are reading this blog and participating in our 104-day challenge, I hope you have continued to read to this point because this is probably old news to you.  First, let me say that we should never get bored with the Gospel message, but second, let me ask you this question.

If God didn’t expect you to be perfect to obtain salvation, why do we live like He expects perfection after salvation?

For so much of my Christian life, I lived with guilt and shame.  I could never seem to get it all right, aka, I could never be perfect.  I worked and worked.  I worked hard!  I was most certainly a perfectionist.  Yet, I could never attain what I felt was sufficient obedience as a Christian.  My environment did not help much.  I was in a place where legalism was rampant.  There were so many do’s and don’ts I could not keep them all straight.

But listen to this truth from Hebrews 12.  It is well said in so many translations, but I would like to use the NLT here:

Hebrews 12:1-7
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. ² We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. ³ Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. ⁴ After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.  5And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, “My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you.⁶ For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.” ⁷ As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children.

Here are the principles that stand out to me today as I contemplate the question, “What does the law of God require?”

1. We must persevere by being obedient.

There are many who have gone before us (that is the “huge crowd of witnesses”) who have set the example, and none of them (except for Jesus, of course) was perfect.  As a matter of fact, if you read the Bible, especially the Old Testament, you will find that they were far from perfect.

2. Jesus initiates and perfects our faith.  All we do is look to Him.

We get the part where Jesus initiates our faith.  But Hebrews tells us that He also perfects our faith.  He is the perfect substitute for us.  Because of Him, we stand before God with personal, perfect, perpetual obedience.

AND BECAUSE OF HIM, WE REMAIN THERE.

3. We keep our eyes on Jesus by remembering what He did for us.

I love how it is said here.  “Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.”

Earlier this year my husband and daughter were trying to best each other.  The topic was “who does the most around the house.”  They went back and forth, and honestly, I was just tired from a long day.  I wanted to join the conversation and say, “I ‘m the mom, so I beat you both!”  Realizing how arrogant of a response that was, I paused before I said it, and instead said, “Well, Jesus died for you both.”  There was a moment of silence, and then they both agree that enough had been said.

If you are like me and my family, you get caught up, as we did, in sharing our woes.  We focus on how difficult we have it in this life.  It is then when we begin to stray away from obedience.  That is what makes verse 3 so amazing.  When we think of the hostility Jesus endured, we won’t become weary and give up.  All of us can regularly reflect on Jesus sacrifice for us.

4. God’s law gives us a standard, and when we stray He will discipline us because He loves us.

God’s discipline is not to satisfy some desire to flaunt His authority and power.  It is to make us more like Christ, and it lets us know that we are His children.  We have been made righteous, through Christ.

Take a moment to reflect on what Christ did for us, and thank Him for giving His life so that we could be made perfect before God.

Colliding with Our Culture

Our fourth catechism asks the question, “How and why did God create us?”

How?  Male and Female
Why?  To know Him, love Him, live with Him and glorify Him.

This collides with our culture in so many ways.  The most obvious is in regard to the gender debate.  Were we really created male and female?  Or can we choose our gender?  If science can provide the means for us to change our gender, does that make it right?  Should we allow genderless public restrooms?

These questions abound more and more, and the indoctrination has saturated our school system.  I was so discouraged when I was having a casual conversation with my nephew who is in elementary school.  He proclaimed that we cannot judge whether someone is a boy or a girl because that person gets to choose.  He was so confident that this was the truth because this is what he learned in school.

How far our society has moved from the truth of God’s Word!

So let’s move on to the second question.  Why were we created?  And for the purpose of this challenge, we are all women, so let me ask, a follow-up question.  How does our femininity contribute to our purpose?

We were created to know God.  As women, we will know Him differently than men because we are wired differently.  We will typically relate better to His nurturing character qualities because we were created to be nurturers.

We were created to love God.  As women, we typically look for our “knight in shining armor,” and because man is fallen, we are often disappointed.  Even “Prince Charming” still falls short of God’s glory.  We can love God because we know that He is perfect in His love.  He will never disappoint.

We were created to live with God.  Because of the gift of the Holy Spirit, God is with us and within us all the time.  He tells us in the book of John that He doesn’t want to just give us life, but He wants to give us abundant life.  Life with God is safe, secure, joyful, and abundant.  This does not mean that we are always healthy, wealthy and happy.  But we do have a contentment and peace that passes all understanding.

We were created to glorify God.  We make dozens of choices every day, and if each of those choices bring glory to God, then we have had a successful day.  This is a helpful concept when we feel like all we do is change dirty diapers and wash dishes or push paper and get coffee.  Whether the tasks of your day feel fulfilling or not, you can rest assured that when you bring glory to God you have fulfilled the purpose for which you were created.

Let’s rejoice in being one of God’s beautiful creations.

Play-Doh People

Recently one of the most talked about sermons at Coastal was Pastor Andrew’s sermon with “Play-Doh Man” and “Play-Doh Woman.”  If you were not there, he made people out of Play-Doh exemplifying God creating us.  As he spoke, he shared that if we violated the law of our Creator, He could, and would have every right, to destroy us.  At this point, with his fist, he took out Play-Doh man.

The first catechism that we are looking at asks this question.  “What is our only hope in life and death?”  The answer is, “That we are not our own but belong to God.”

While the picture of Pastor Andrew squashing Play-Doh man can be troublesome, picture the opposite.  He could have picked up Play-Doh man and protected him from any threat of danger.

The fact that we belong to God gives us incredible hope!  Psalm 56:11 (ESV) says, “In God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?”  Whether we live or die, we belong to God.  This should remove all fear of life and death.  Everything happens within the sovereignty of God.

As we begin our challenge to go through these 52 catechisms, I think it is fantastic that we start off with the reminder that we are not our own.  We belong to God.  So, let’s learn more about the God to whom we belong.  Let’s fall in love with Him, His Word, and the plan that He has set forth for each one of us.  In this lies our hope.

104-Day Challenge

This weekend, the Women of Coastal hosted a retreat in Virginia Beach, Virginia.  We were privileged to have speaker, Aimee Byrd, share with us.  (housewifetheologian.com and alliancenet.org/mos)

The theme of our retreat was “Making Him Known – Through Knowing His Word,” and Aimee spoke on being “Theologically Fit.”  It may not seem like your typical women’s retreat theme, but the Women of Coastal aren’t your typical Christian women.  They are women who are hungry for the “meat” of God’s Word.

“Meat” is certainly the description I would give to the content of our retreat.  It was rich with doctrine and truth.  There was so much that it will take a while for it all to absorb.  🙂

To help us all become more “Theologically Fit” and to absorb what we learned this weekend, we have put forth a 104-day challenge to all the Women of Coastal and our friends.  (So feel free to pass it on!)   The instructions are below, but first I would like to address the question, “Why bother?”

I grew up in the church.  I do not remember a day in my life where I was not aware of God and being taught something about His Word.   But I must admit that for the majority of my life, I stayed on the surface.  I knew a lot of facts, stories, and basic concepts, but when it came to doctrine, I left it to the pastors and professors.  That “doctrine stuff” was meant only for those who would preach it.   This perspective was very wrong!

Theological studies and doctrines help us to know more of Who God is.  In doing so, not only do we love Him more, but we can rest more in the promises He has made.  When I began to simply learn doctrine (rather than reading popular Christianity books or searching the Bible on the topic that appealed to my feelings) I saw a transformation in my heart like never before.

I could not comprehend that idea before I started learning more, and now I can hardly remember what it was like to feel so lost and confused.

If lost, confused or discouraged describe how you feel about knowing God’s Word, this challenge is for you!   If confident and deep more accurately describe you, this challenge is for you too!   No matter where you are in your walk with God, continually learning more about His plan and how to revolves around the Gospel is never a waste of time.

Will you take the challenge?  If so, here it is.  Check back into my blog throughout the next 104 days where we can further discuss what we are learning. (Just comment on my blog post.)

104-Day Challenge

1. Get the New City Catechism app or devotional.  The app is free!
2. Email sarah@gocoastal.org or reply to this blog and we will add you to our list of participants.  We will email you once each week to remind and encourage you.
3. Study one catechism every two days.  Each one has two devotionals, so you can do one each day.
4. Join us (if you are local or want to take a road trip) on May 29.  We’ll also go Facebook Live for those who are at a distance!   We will celebrate our progress and share what we have learned.  If you complete 3 catechisms or all 52, we want you to come and celebrate with us.
5. Need an extra challenge?  Try memorizing the catechisms too!  🙂