Mere Discipleship & Cheapening Grace

"'Salvation,' instead of being construed as the gift of a transformed, abundant life in the now-present kingdom of God, begins to be equated with an otherworldly reward. More crassly put, 'salvation' is increasingly viewed as a fire-insurance policy - rather than the gift of new life in the here and now that stands confident even in the face of death, 'salvation' becomes a 'Get Out of Hell Free Card,' guaranteeing an escape from the fires of torment and ensuring the receipt of treasures in heaven."

"Jesus of Nazareth, the Gospel accounts relate, always comes asking disciples to follow him, not merely 'accept him,' not merely 'believe in him,' not merely 'worship him,' but to follow him."

"A 'disciple' is a 'pupil,' a 'learner,' an 'apprentice,' one who typically follows a master or teach in order to learn how one should live and conduct one's life."

"For Paul, God's grace is always much more than mere legalistic forgiveness of sins; grace is not a mere forensic transaction in which the legal accounts are cleared so we will not be sent to hell in the afterlife. Grace is not merely pardon, but power: for Paul, the gifts of God's love are manifested not merely in forgiveness (thought certainly in forgiveness, which we desperately need), but also in freeing us from lives of 'slavery,' freeing us to be the people God intends us to be, seen most fully in the incarnation of Christ."

"Grace that is merely 'forgiveness' is what Paul calls 'sinning that grace may abound' (Rom. 6:1). Or is is what Bonhoeffer called 'cheap grace.' Grace does not merely provide forgiveness so that we may be forgiven, but empowerment to be the people of God, to be the body of Christ, to continue the work and ministry of Christ in human history."

"The Pauline epistles do not depict a cheap salvation by grace by which w are 'forgiven' by giving mental assent to 'Jesus as my Lord and Savior,' but a gospel that proclaims the power of resurrection working among us and in us, that Christ himself now works in us."

Lee Camp, Mere Discipleship, 22, 23, 105 113, 114, 157.

New Covenant Theology

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Popular as What?

"Even as our churches enjoy a measure of outward success, we remain the influenced, not the influential, as long as we shift our power-base from the ways of God to the ways of man, from Spirit-anointed biblical truth to human skills and novelties. Operating in a man-centered rather than a God-centered mode, our churches do not necessarily fail. They stand as good a chance of success as any other franchise network. Some even become popular - but popular as what? As a religious pasttime, or as a force for God?

-Ray Ortlund Jr., A Passion for God, 208

Douglas Moo & New Covenant Theology 2

"We are justified in considering the Christian to be free from the commandments of the Mosaic law insofar as they are part of that system, and perhaps in the sense that whatever commandments are applicable to us come with a new empowering through the 'indicative' of God's grace in Christ. But we cannot conclude from this verse that the believer has no obligation to any of the individual commandments of that law - insofar, we may say, as they may be isolated from the 'system.' Still less does this verse allow the conclusion that Christians are no longer subject to 'law' or 'commandments' at all - for nomos here means Mosaic law, not 'law' as such." (390)

----from his Romans (NICNT).

Josiah Meets Asher for 1st Time

Asher Is Here!

Asher White (top) was born yesterday (1/12/12). Josiah was born 3/12/10. They are identical twins separated by 22 months, and we are grateful to God for both of them!

Should We Ever Look "in" for Assurance?

Many Reformed and Lutheran folks say no. The Bible says yes:

• 1 John 2:5-6 "But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did" (NIV). How are we assured that we are in him? We must live as Jesus did. Seems pretty clear. 

•  1 John 2:28 "And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming" (ESV). We are to abide in him so that we will have confidence (assurance) at his coming.

• 1 John 3:18-19 "Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him" (ESV). We will know (i.e. have assurance) that we are Christians by loving in deed and in truth and by this we reassure our hearts before him.

• 2 Corinthians 13:5 "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you fail to meet the test!" In other words, look at yourselves! 

• 2 Peter 1:9-10 "For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall."  

Let's strive to follow the New Testament vision of the Christian Life, rather than reducing it to fit our preferred theological model.

Mortification

"No sin can be crucified in either life or heart, unless it first be pardoned in conscience, because there will be want of faith to receive the strength of Jesus, by whom alone it can be crucified. If it be not mortified in its guilt, it cannot be subdued in its power."

-William Romaine

Waiting on Asher . . .

Jesus + Nothing = Everything Review

I appreciated these comments from Patrick Schreiner's review of Tullian Tchividjian's book, Jesus + Nothing = Everything:


"Sometimes I feel as if it takes the teeth out of the imperatives in the Bible. Yes, I agree that the imperatives are fueled by the indicatives. Yes, I agree that if we give imperatives without grace they will never take root. Yes, I agree that we are saved not by what we do, but by Jesus alone.


However…there are roughly 550 imperatives in the Epistles, and therefore it is right and good for our pastors to give imperatives, and us not scream legalism. Tchividjian does put on his helmet, but it is more a protective helmet, in that he gives a nod of approval to the imperatives because he knows it is the right thing to do, but it is only a nod. In addition, justification is only ones of the metaphors for our salvation, and as others have pointed out, when this doctrine gets elevated sanctification gets the burnt edges."