A name written on a cardboard box

We moved into our new house about a month ago and we still have boxes stacked to the ceiling in our living room.  That's not surprising because between moving in and today my wife gave birth to our daughter, Ellie!  Needless to say the past couple weeks we have been adjusting to new life as a four-person family.

Still, in some down time I decided to take a couple hours and see how many boxes I could empty, so I grabbed my retractable box cutter knife and went to work.  As I flipped one box over I saw something written on the side.  It said "For Ellie's Room".  My wife had written that on the side of the box several months prior and had packed it full of things we'd need for the new baby.  We had been planning and anticipating Ellie's arrival for quite some time.  In preparation we had collected things we'd need, packed them up, and labeled them, all in expectation of the new member of our family.

It reminded me how God did the same thing for those of us in his family.  This is what He has said:

But now, this is what the Lord says—
    he who created you, Jacob,
    he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
    I have summoned you by name; you are mine.  Isaiah 43:1

Yes, long before you or I existed, God summoned us by name and claimed us as his.  "You are mine" are quite possibly the most reassuring and comforting words in all the Bible.  God wrote our name down.  Not in black magic marker, and not on the side of a cardboard box.  He wrote it in a book.  It's a book He's going to open on the Last Day--the Lamb's book of life.

"It is one thing to construct a theology of election (or any other kind of theology) purely on the basis of rational speculation. It is quite another to utilize logic in seeking a coherent understanding of biblical revelation." (R.C. Sproul on the theology of election)

My thoughts on N.T. Wright's view of justification

N.T. Wright is the current Bishop of Durham, fourth in place of authority of the Church of England.  Despite being a Protestant, his view of justification is neither Protestant or Catholic.  The orthodox historical teaching of Christianity in both Protestantism and Catholicism is that through faith in Christ sinners receive alien righteousness--that is, righteousness from outside themselves--which justifies them in God's law-court.  This transfer of righteousness occurs when a believer first puts faith in Christ.  This is what we call "justification".  On the contrary, N.T. Wright disagrees with this at two points.  First, he does not believe any transfer of righteousness takes place but rather God sort of ignores our sin (an act possible because Christ sufficiently atoned for it through his death) and gives us a label or status of "being right".  Second, he believes we are only truly justified ("declared right") on the Day of Judgement, and any talk of being justified in the present only anticipates when we will be justified in the future.  You could think of it this way:  whereas most of Christendom understands justification to be how we get into God's family in the present, Wright says justification is God declaring we're in His family on the Last Day.

To illustrate this let me use the example of Costco membership.  If you are not familiar with Costco, it is a membership club retailer.  Anyone can become a member if they pay membership dues.  Upon paying the dues they are given a membership card which they must use to gain entry and when making purchases.

The historical orthodox understanding of justification is that upon paying my membership dues I am a justified Costco member.  There is a monetary swap that takes place where I give Costco a dues payment and they give me membership benefits.  The membership card is a seal of my membership and every time I walk into Costco I flash my card so they know I am a justified member.  My card is proof my dues have been paid in full already.  So, the justification event occurs when the monetary swap takes place and from then on I am justified and have access to full membership benefits.

In the above illustration, the membership dues are debt for sin.  When Christ pays my debt, I am justified and given the membership card of faith.  My faith is the evidence that I have been justified already.

In contrast, Wright's view of justification has nothing to do with paying dues (debt for sin) and actually assumes Costco grants membership in a slightly different manner.  Imagine if Costco gave out free membership cards to whoever wanted one which allowed entry into the store but did not allow people to purchase anything yet.  So upon receiving my card I could play with the products along with other cardholders but no one was actually declared a justified member yet which meant no one could experience the full benefits of membership yet.  Everyone is told if they take a free card now at some point in the future their card will give them access to all membership benefits.  They just have to keep the card until they are justified.  When I flash my membership card today I am understood to be a future rightful member and allowed to window shop based on the expectation there will be a future event when Costco will justify me by declaring me a member.  In effect I get to experience some membership benefits today on the expectation that I will be justified later.

In the latter illustration I possess a membership card of faith just like the first, but I must wait with the expectation and hope that my card will allow me to be justified in the future.

Are we just splitting hairs?  Why does any of this matter?  Whether you've ever thought deeply about justification before or not, consciously or subconsciously everyone deals with its implications at some point.  Justification has everything to do with your relationship with God--whether you are right with God and how you become right with God.  You may never use the label "justification", but whenever you consider your relationship with God you are considering your justification.  Everyone will come to some conclusion as to whether they are "right" with God, and that conclusion will influence, if not define, their life.  The assurance that we are reconciled with God and that God is for us and not against us should form the bedrock of our life as Christians.

For that reason, I think N.T. Wright's understanding of justification is ultimately dangerous for the Christian, and will actually undermine a Christian's faith.  Here are two reasons why:

1. If my being declared right with God is a future event I will easily be tempted to try to attain it through some work of my own before then.  On the contrary, if my justification is based upon a work already done by Christ, I know I cannot do anything to earn it because it is already accomplished.

2.  If I can only hope I will be justified in the future, I must live my life now merely hoping God is for me, but never with certainty.  On the contrary, if I have already been justified by the work of Christ, that means I am reconciled to God today and He is absolutely, unequivocally for me today.


To read more about Wright's views on justification:
http://ntwrightpage.com/Wright_NDCT_Justification.htm
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/june/29.34.html?start=1
http://ntwrightpage.com/Wright_Becoming_Righteousness.pdf
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevinwax/2007/11/19/trevin-wax-interview-with-nt-wright-full-transcript/

Small movements create big errors over long trajectories

If you ever go rifle target shooting you'll quickly learn how small movements at the tip of the gun barrel amount to huge distances at the target.  Let me try to give you an idea of the precision required to hit a one-inch target 100 yards away:  If you remember your geometry, a circle has 360 degrees in it.  So imagine taking a pizza and slicing it into 360 equal-sized slices.  That's a small slice of pizza!  Now imagine taking a pizza and slicing it into 21,600 equal-sized slices.  If you are aiming for a one-inch target 100 yards away you'll miss that target completely if you aim 1/21,600th of a pizza too high or too low (see http://www.snipercountry.com/articles/mildot_moa.asp for more on this).  The same error at the gun would miss a 10 inch target 1,000 yards away.  The further the bullet travels the more "off-target" it becomes.

This is as true in theology as it is in rifle shooting.  That is, a pastor's teaching today has a trajectory that will have some effect in the future.  The effect can be positive or it can be negative.  It can be Biblical or it can heretical.  Which is why pastors spend a good deal of time refuting ideas they view as not Biblical or trying to clarify ideas that, while not in error themselves, have a trajectory which will eventually result in erroneous belief.  To the layperson it may have the appearance of grumpy old men or women arguing about things that don't matter, but to the theologian/pastor these issues have eternal kingdom consequences.  Not just in the future "salvation" sense but in shaping our worldview today.  Knowing this, when I hear one pastor or theologian critique (constructively) another's teaching I will try to discover the underlying erroneous belief the critiquing pastor is attempting to prevent.

One example is a back-and-forth between John Piper and N.T. Wright on the doctrine of justification.  At this point in time, each has written books responding to the other's views and it has at times becomes quite difficult to understand the differences between their views.  I began to wonder why they would spend so much time writing books when the differences between them seem so minute.  Of course, their chosen vocation is to write books and teach, but surely they have better things to do than write volumes that essentially only tweak the other's ideas.  In fact, when I read Wright and then go on to read Piper my immediate response is, "I agree with both of these guys!"

I did not understand their motivation until I read this explanation from John Piper on what he thinks is at stake:

"Therefore, the very thing that N.T. Wright and others are wanting to accomplish, namely an engaged, bold, loving, sacrificial, mission-oriented church will cease to be that, just like the mainline churches have ceased to be dynamic forces in the world, because they threw away the essence of certain crucial doctrines. You don’t see it now, because N.T. Wright himself is such a good embodiment of engagement, but I’m saying that some of the things he says have the trajectory that if they’re followed out, are going to in fact undermine the very thing he wants to accomplish, namely, a sacrificially loving church." (John Piper, "Interview With John Piper About The Future of Justification: A Response to N. T. Wright")

Whether you agree with him or not, it's important to see that Piper's concern isn't so much about what N.T. Wright himself believes, but rather where he thinks Wright's teaching will lead the church.  Consider for a moment that today's Christian pastors are profoundly influenced by the teaching of the pastors and theologians who wrote hundreds of years ago:  people like John Wesley, John Calvin, Martin Luther, Augustine, Jacobus Arminius, Charles Spurgeon, C.S. Lewis, John Stott, and on and on.  Some denominations even carry the name of a theologian--like Lutherans or Wesleyans.  The writings and teachings of Piper, Wright, and other pastors have long-lasting implications for the church which is why they take doctrine seriously, and why we should too.

We must understand what the Promise is

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.  Romans 8:28-30

This is one of the most reassuring scriptures in the whole Bible.  It doesn't matter what situation you find yourself in, if you are a Christian you have the promise from God that all things are working together for good for you.  Rest in that truth for a moment.  Let it sink in.

There is nothing that happens in this world outside of God's sovereign will.  Let me unpack that statement.  If you are a Christian, God is your fortress and He surrounds you and protects you.  The implication of that fact is nothing can happen to you unless God allows it through his walls.  And if He allows it through the walls the Bible guarantees you it is for your ultimate good.  That is what Romans 8:28 promises us as Christians.

When Paul made this statement he was responding to the suffering of Christians.  He was reassuring the believers in Rome that their suffering was temporary and that it would be replaced with glory.  Ten verses before this most wonderful promise Paul said, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." (Romans 8:18)

Notice how verse 29 begins with the word "For".  When a sentence begins with "for" it means "because".  So the promise given in verse 28 is because of what is said in verses 29 through 30.  To hopefully make this more clear let me rephrase verses 28 through 30 and emphasize certain words:

All things work together for good for those who are called according to God's purpose BECAUSE those whom he foreknew he also predestined TO BE CONFORMED to the image of his Son.  And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also JUSTIFIED, and those he justified he also GLORIFIED.

So what is the "good" that is promised to those who love God and are called according to his purpose?

1. You will be conformed to be like Christ.
2. You will be justified.
3. You will be glorified.

That is the most wonderful promise you could ever be given.  Notice that Paul never says God will remove our suffering in this life.  He says we will be conformed to be like Christ, which may come through suffering.  In fact, Paul says we as Christians may go through tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, and sword (vs 35)!  Yet, "in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." (vs 37)  We may even die in the midst of our suffering but even then our suffering is but a momentary affliction.  Even death will not void the promise of verse 28 because after death we will be glorified.

This is not false hope.  It is hope in what is eternal instead of what is temporary.  "For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison" (2 Corinthians 4:17).

38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:38-39

"Sin will always appears as a trifle to those whose view of God is small. If you were to discover a little boy pulling the legs off of a grasshopper, you would think it strange and perhaps a little bizarre. If the same little boy were pulling the legs off of a frog, that would be a bit more disturbing. If it were a bird, you would probably scold him and inform his parents. If it were a puppy, that would be too shocking to tolerate. You would intervene. If it were a little baby, it would be so reprehensible and tragic that you would risk you own life to protect the baby. What’s the difference in each of these scenarios? The sin is the same (pulling the limbs off). The only difference is the one sinned against (from a grasshopper to a baby). The more noble and valuable the creature, the more heinous and reprehensible the sin. And so it is with God.

If God were a grasshopper, then to sin against Him wouldn’t be such a big deal and eternal punishment wouldn’t be necessary. But God isn’t a grasshopper, He’s the most precious, valuable, beautiful being in the universe. His glory and worth are infinite and eternal. Thus to sin against an infinitely glorious being is an infinitely heinous offense that is worthy of an infinitely heinous punishment.

We don’t take sin seriously because we don’t take God seriously. We have so imbibed of the banality of our God-belittling spirit of the age that our sins hardly trouble us at all. Our sin seems small because we regard God as small. And thus the penalty of hell—eternal conscious suffering under the wrath of God—always seems like an overreaction on God’s part. If we knew God better, we wouldn’t think like that."  (Denny Burk, "Rob Bell Outs Himself")

A new house, for a reason

The past few weeks have been busy.  We bought a new house two weeks ago and we're now busy putting our old house up for rent.  Many people told us how stressful house shopping would be.  Our goal was to find a house we thought we could be in a while, with a neighborhood and community that is safe and play-friendly for our kids.  Shortly after we began looking for a house to buy my wife and I sat down at the kitchen table one morning and I shared a passage of Scripture with her.  I thought it would give us peace during the potentially turbulent time ahead.

The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. Acts 17:24-27

It is assuring to me to know God himself marked out our appointed times in history and the boundaries of our lands.  That single truth instills so much peace over my life.  We could look for a new home knowing God himself would determine the house we move to, just as He determined the house we're moving from and how long we'd been there.  Yes, God is more involved in our lives than we could possibly understand.  During the tense negotiation process with the seller my wife and I would constantly need to remind each other, "God will put us in that house if He wants us to be there.  Remember Acts 17:26?"

Now that the house-buying process is behind us, my family moves excitedly on to the house-living experience.  And yet we still have to remind each other about that passage in Acts 17, because more important than where we are is why we're there.  God puts us where we are so that we would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us (vs 27).  We are where we are for a reason: So that we might seek God.  Perhaps we seek him through being thankful for where we live, or perhaps it's through relying on God to get us through just another day where we live.  Either way, no matter where we live God has put us there so that we would seek him, reach out for him, and find him.  I encourage you to remember that the next time you think "I love my home" or "How can I live here another day?"