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Serving the Saints: A Primary Evidence of Salvation

9/30/2014

The Bible thoroughly speaks to an important reality when it comes to those who profess faith in the biblical God. This reality is that of false conversion. The basic idea is this: there are some people who may believe that they are Christians, are saved, and will go to heaven when they die, and yet they are entirely mistaken.

This doctrine is essential to a proper understanding of many biblical texts. Without this framework, entire blocks of Scripture are literally impossible to understand. However, this begs a crucial question for the introspective reader: how do I know that I am not one of them?

The Bible fortunately anticipates this critical question asked by its readers. The answer that it gives is that of biblical assurance. Assurance is an interesting topic to study throughout the Bible and the New Testament in particular. There are many answers that the Bible gives to fill out this concept of assurance. In fact, the entire letter of 1 John is almost singularly devoted to this doctrine. However, there is a particular aspect or emphasis to assurance that has been simply hammering me in my recent studies. It is found in essence in several pieces, but is distilled in the book of Hebrews:

Hebrews 6:9–10 (ESV) — 9 Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. 10 For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do.

Here in context the author of Hebrews has provided his readers with a harsh warning against apostasy. However, he follows that grave warning with the encouragement I have quoted in verses 9-10. Despite his warning, he states that he is convinced that those who he refers to as "beloved" are genuinely saved. He then provides in verse 10 the evidence or assurance of salvation that I want to focus on. This evidence of salvation is the work and love they have shown and continue to show in serving the saints.

Have you ever heard somebody say something to the effect of "I like Jesus, but I just don't like the church." There is a sense in which we can sympathize with their feelings. Oftentimes we recognize that the people that make up the visible church are imperfect and frankly, hypocritical. However, the assurance of salvation that is provided here strikes at the very heart of such thinking. It is precisely because of their devotion to the people of God, the church, that the Christians reading this letter can know that they have salvation.

Getting the order is important here. It is not that serving in God's church is the work that you must do in order to earn your passage into heaven. Rather, salvation comes first and the service and love that flows out of that salvation demonstrates that you have indeed been saved. It follows then that while not everybody who serves in the church and loves the brethren is saved, everyone who is saved will serve in the church and love the brethren.

Again, I must qualify what I am saying at this point. Does everyone who will ever believe have to sign up for ministry opportunities at their church? Does one's lack of participation in church activities indicate that they are damned? Obviously neither of these is unequivocally the case. Membership in God's kingdom is not established by outward actions, but a changed heart. However, we must take seriously the biblical assertion that one way that salvation manifests itself in God's people is through their love for the other people of God. The Bible knows nothing of "lone wolf" Christians. Neither is the concept of those who have a personal relationship with God, but don't spend any time with God's people a plausible one. When someone is saved by the Spirit of God they are adopted into the family of God. Those who are truly adopted into God's family, love God's family and want to spend time with them. Sure the institution of the church may be imperfect at times, but if one would be united to Christ, he must be united to and serve Christ's body as well.

The entire book of first John speaks to this topic as well. John tells us that one of the primary evidences that we have been saved comes from the fact that we love the brethren. In fact, love for the brethren is a constant theme throughout much of the epistle's early chapters:

1 John 2:9–10 (ESV) — 9 Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. 10 Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.

1 John 3:14–16 (ESV) — 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

I want to leave you with a final passage that really hit home with me. The parable of the sheep and the goats. Look at the primary means that Jesus' uses to determine who is a sheep and who is a goat. Remember again that these means are not how salvation is determined, rather they are one of the crucial indicators that someone has indeed been saved by God.

Matthew 25:31–46 (ESV) — 31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

May the Spirit of God cause us to search our hearts and lives to discover whether or not we truly bear this essential fruit.

-tanner

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Devotional Thoughts: Spurgeon on Salvation before Service

9/28/2014

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April 19th, 1885 Charles Spurgeon preached a sermon on the following passage:

Matthew 8:14–15 (ESV) — 14 And when Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. 15 He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him.

This passage has always held some interest for me. In particular, I have often thought of the text in a sort of wordly fashion. What I mean is that Jesus and his disciples have had a long day, and are likely tired and desperately in need of some rest. "Let us go to Peter's house," they might say, "his mother always takes good care of us." When they arrive however, she is incapacitated and sick with a fever. "This will not do," I imagined Jesus saying, "I will heal her so that she may minister to us." You see, it's the immediacy of her service that struck me. Why is she not given a little bit of time to relax? After all, she has just come out of a fever.

Spurgeon helped me to see through my flawed perspective on the text and recognize the deeper spiritual truths that are present there. While time prevents us from covering every point that Spurgeon did in his sermon, I would like to bring to your attention something of what is expressed by this small tangent in the text.

In typical Spurgeon fashion, he begins early in the sermon bringing out the spiritual consequences of the passage. His effort is to make the text relevant to his audience and force them to see that there are truths here for them to learn as well. He starts this process by comparing the fever of Peter's mother to the fever that dwells in each and every one of us: sin.

What would the fever represent? Those who are in a fever represent spiritually those who are on fire with sin. . . .

Those who have a fever in their souls are hot after sin, dried up with ill desires, inflamed with evil lusts. What unhealthy energy many even show in the indulgence of their passions, or in the pursuit of their ambitions: they are so inflamed with their desires that their life is consumed. . . .

These fevered people are frequently very restless. It is one effect of the fever that the man cannot lie long together either on this side or on the other, but turns to and fro. Even his sleep is broken; neither by day nor by night can he find rest. He is dried up, and feels as weak as if he were brought into the dust of death and utterly dissolved. . . .

One symptom of a fever is that a man loses appetite for that which would be good for him. Some of our unconverted friends have no taste for the gospel; we cannot easily induce them to come to hear it. . . .

On the other hand, a fevered patient often feels a great thirst, which he cannot by any means allay. He longs to drink and drink again, and with all his drinking the heat is not abated. Sometimes the sick man has an appetite for what he must not taste, he craves after the most injurious and even unnatural things . . .

But the worst point in the case of the sinner is this, that this fever of his will prove fatal. This son, daughter, husband, or wife of yours will perish through the fever of sin, if it be not cured.1

At this point some may question Spurgeon's dealing with the text. Does the fever of Peter's mother truly represent sin? If not, is Spurgeon not taking liberties with the text? This is a fair question. However, the scriptures often describe the malady of sin as a sickness or disease. While that may not be be the primary point of the fever here, it is fair to make at least a reference or comparison. Truly, all sickness and disease in our world point us to the ultimate sickness and disease of sin. In the new heavens and new earth where sin has been abolished forever, sickness and disease will exist no more. Moreover, however Spurgeon's illustration is actually going to serve to bring more clarity to the reaction of Peter's mother, thus shedding more light upon the text at hand.

Spurgeon goes on to describe several points based upon this comparison. I want to focus upon two of them. First, he describes the healing of the fever as the equivalent of a believer being healed by Jesus of his sin. What is the response or the reaction of the one cured of his fatal fever?

Thirdly, it is plainly taught in the text that STRENGTH TO MINISTER COMES WITH HEALING. “Immediately she arose and ministered to them.” Fever causes extreme weakness, and when it leaves the patient, he is for a considerable time greatly debilitated. The cures of nature are slow; but when Jesus cures, he does it at once. Though he uses only a touch and a word, yet he cures so perfectly that no weakness remains. The woman did not lie in bed a week or two, and feed upon nourishing diet, and so recover her strength; but there and then she arose from her bed, girt her garments about her, and went about the duties of the household. . . .

The moment the Lord Jesus Christ saves a soul he gives that soul strength for its appointed service. . . .

I want to call your attention to this, that her service was immediate service, rendered on the spot, without delay. Some of you have been converted during our late special services; let me bid you serve the Lord at once, even as the Lord has served you. “What, get to work directly?” Yes, immediately; for there is something very beautiful about that which is done by new converts. Oh, the beauty of that first look of love! Oh, the sweetness of those first notes of praise! Oh, the power of those first sentences of testimony! . . .

I would not have a converted person wait a week before trying to do something for Jesus. Run as soon as you find your feet.2

Peter's mother did not wait to minister to Jesus and the disciples because she did not need to! When Jesus heals, he does so completely and fully. She was ready and able to serve them at once. Similarly, when we are converted to Christ, we are made ready and able to serve him and his church at once. Now, prudence must be taken in the case of those in leadership positions. Paul rightfully says that elders should not be new converts. However, service need not always be preaching, teaching, or leading. There are many tasks available to those who are newly converted that they are able to accomplish. How often I have heard of those newly converted to Christ who began handing out gospel tracts or attending bible studies or volunteering for the homeless ministries!

Does this not betray an ulterior motive of the part of the church however? She just wants people to be saved so that she can press their talents and gifts into their service? It may perhaps, except for what Spurgeon makes clear in his final point:

THE DESIRE TO MINISTER ALWAYS ARISES OUT OF HEALING. Here was a woman, a poor woman, an old woman, a widow woman, one who had just been sick, and she desires at once to minister to Christ, and she can do it, and she does do it. How think you, was she moved to this? Was not it that strength naturally suggests activity as soon as ever you get it? . . .

And then the gratitude for this strength impels you to activity. How can a man be still when Christ has spoken for him and delivered him? . . . Can you ever be silent for Christ now that the Lord Christ has redeemed you from the curse of the law and the penalty of sin? I tell you, if you can be quiet and do nothing for Christ, I am afraid you have never tasted of his love and grace. . . .

Once more, I think I may say that those who are healed by Christ are sure to do something for him of the right sort, because their former habitudes will assist them. I do not mean by this that sinful activity can ever help us into holy activity, but I do mean this; that we can turn our old habits to account for Jesus. I believe that Peter’s wife’s mother was a particularly nice old lady. There is rather a prejudice against a wife’s mother, and if Peter found it the proper thing to have her living in the house, I am sure she was a specially good woman. I have a picture of her in my mind’s eye,—a dear old soul, always busy and happy. . . .

As for you, young men who have been so restless, so vigorous, so dashing in sin, it seems to me that this habitual energy ought to be placed under consecration to Christ. A horse that has no mettle in it is easily managed; still, a horse with a little mettle, though he may kick, and plunge, and do a great deal of mischief, is all the better horse when he is broken in. If he be under proper management, if he answers to the bit, you like the mettle. So it is with a man when he is converted. If he had mettle in him that led him to kick and plunge when he served the devil, if he did so much mischief and damage against the kingdom of Christ, he is the very man to pull well in Jesus Christ’s chariot.3

You see, when Peter's mother was healed of her fever, she wanted to minister to Christ and his disciples. She was not pressed into a service she was unwilling or unfit to participate in. Instead her natural giftings as given to her by God were used in a sanctified and holy way.

The same goes for all who are converted into the kingdom of God. We are not pressed into a service for which we are unwilling or not well equipped. Instead we are called to serve in the capacity that God has created us for. Instead we are able to minister by use of our particular gifts and for our particular calling.

I also love the final point that he makes about the most stubborn of people. It is often these who are the most zealous in their opposition to Christ that upon conversion are most useful to God's kingdom. Look at the apostle Paul who persecuted and attacked Christ's church before he was saved. How great was the impact that he made for God's kingdom once he finally submitted to Christ! Let us pray boldly for those in our lives that we see enslaved by the fever of sin. Perhaps God will grant them repentance, and they will be used mightily for his glory.

Let us together thank God that he healed us, and resolve to serve him for our pleasure and the good of his kingdom.

-tanner

1 C. H. Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 31 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1885), 219-221.
2 Ibid, 225.
3 Ibid, 226-228.

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Update: A Busy Month

9/22/2014

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Hey guys. Just wanted to give a quick update to where I have been this month. I've already preached twice this month. Once at the Southwest Bible Conference two weeks ago, and just yesterday for Sunday Worship. Additionally, I have resumed teaching my Bible Study Lessons on Thursdays on the topic of Genesis thru Joshua. Check out the Sermon and Bible Study pages for a chance to listen to some of these. Also, look out for weekly updates on the Bible Studies page.

I will make an effort to return to posting more articles here fairly soon. Thanks for your patience!

-tanner

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Theology: Who is Junia, and Why Should You Care?

9/7/2014

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I ran across an interesting blog last week called "The Junia Project." It is a blog that's main purpose seems to be promoting the egalitarian position when it comes the roles of men and women in the church. This is an interesting and important topic of discussion that is very prominent in our day and age. For what it's worth, there are primarily two stances when it comes to the roles of men and women in the churches, the egalitarian position and the complementarian position. The egalitarian position is summarized well on the About page of The Junia Project's website. I have reproduced it below:

The Junia Project is a community of women and men advocating for the inclusion of women at all levels of leadership in the Christian church and for mutuality in marriage. We believe that when interpreted correctly, the Bible teaches that both men and women are called to serve at all levels of the Church, and that leadership should be based primarily on gifting and not on gender.1

The complementarian position (sometimes called the hierarchical position) essentially states that while men and women are both equal as to their essence and nature in the eyes of God, their roles and functions differ, especially in the area of church leadership. The primary difference usually lies in whether or not women are qualified to serve in pastoral positions in the church. Egalitarians say that it should be based upon the individual's giftings, while complementarians say that women are precluded from such positions from the outset.

This debate is extremely relevant to us today. I want to spend several posts looking into the stances and positions of each group, and examining the major biblical texts for each group. Today I want to focus on one simple verse.

As I was examining the articles and pages of "The Junia Project" I noticed that one of the tabs titled Who Was Junia? This caught my interest as I have never heard of Junia before.

The Junia Project is named for Junia, a woman apostle in the early church (see Romans 16:7). Her ministry in partnership with Andronicus and Paul reminds us that God’s intention is for men and women to partner together as equals in the home, the church, and the community.2

This intrigued me, especially considering how much I enjoy the book of Romans. It seems to me that if there were indeed a woman apostle, that I would have remembered her, and that it would be a major point in favor of the egalitarian understanding of women's roles in the church. I quickly turned to Romans 16:7 and found the following:

Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles, and they were in Christ before me. Ro 16:7-ESV.

Imagine my shock to find that the verse in question doesn't even call Junia an apostle. This must be a translational issue, I thought. Let's try the NIV instead:

Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was. Ro 16:7-NIV.

You can see that the translation makes all of the difference. Are Junia and Andronicus to be included among the group labelled as "apostles?" or are they just well known to the apostles? The answer is going to lie in a syntactical study of the underlying greek phrase. Again, the major issue is whether or not the pronoun referencing Junia and Andronicus is to be included in the referent noun "apostles," that lies within the prepositional phrase.

At this point I will note one other argument that often comes up concerning this text. Some have argued that in the greek, the name Junia is masculine and should be rendered as a male's name. I don't find the underlying arguments at all compelling and agree that Junia here is female. As such, I will not deal with those issues here at this time.

On to the syntactical study of the greek phrase. Here is the phrase in greek:

οἵτινές εἰσιν ἐπίσημοι ἐν τοῖς ἀποστόλοις -NA28

Since I am assuming that the vast majority of my readership cannot read greek, I will explain real quickly what each of the words refers to. οἵτινές is the pronoun referring us back to Junia and Andronicus, translated as "they" in the ESV and NIV above. εἰσιν is the "to be" verb translated as "are" in both the ESV and NIV. ἐπίσημοι is the primary verb in question, translated as "well known to" and "outstanding among" in the translations above. Finally, ἐν τοῖς ἀποστόλοις is the prepositional phrase "to the apostles" OR "among the apostles" above.

A simple word study cannot give us a definitive answer. Instead we must look at the relationship that the words and phrases have to one another. I began with a very open search looking for the same construction as used above anywhere I could find in the NT. I did not specify any verbs, but I did specify our preposition "ἐν." The results were dismal, not a good sign given the fact that my search was so open. I found only 2 other verses of interest, both written by John.

There was much grumbling among the crowds concerning Him Jn 7:12-NASB.

which is true in Him and in you 1 Jn 2:8–9-NASB.

The results did indeed point to the fact that the pronoun in question is not always included in the referent prepositional phrase. In John 7, Jesus is the "Him" in question, while the crowds are distinguished from him. Jesus is not a member of the crowds in a grammatical sense here. Similarly in 1 John, Him (Christ) and "you" are distinguished from one another and not included.

However, these cases are not similar enough to our text in question. We need to expand our search to more literature so that we can narrow our criteria and get more similar results. There are primarily three things that our text has that we need to match:

1. The verb ἐπίσημος
2. The preposition ἐν
3. The noun being referred to in the prepositional phrase should be in the dative case

Fortunately I found a journal article that helped to broaden my search. They noted many important texts texts that share this construction. The pseudepigraphal writing "Psalms of Solomon" in chapter 2 and verse 6 for example reads as follows:

ἐπισήμῳ ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν3

This text is pretty clear in its intended meaning: "they were a spectacle among the gentiles." The article notes:

Semantically, what is significant is that (a) the first group is not a part of the second—that is, the Jewish captives were not gentiles; and (b) what was ‘among’ the gentiles was the Jews’ notoriety. This is precisely how we are suggesting that Rom 16:7 should be taken. That the parallels discovered conform to our working hypothesis at least gives warrant to seeing Andronicus’ and Junia’s fame as that which was among the apostles.4

The article goes on to note many more parallels in construction, several of which are in literature I am unfamiliar with, I just want to highlight a few more:

In TAM 2.905.1 west wall. coll. 2.5.18 we read the description of a man who is “not only foremost in his own country, but also well known to the outside population” . . .

. . . Here the person who is ἐπίσημος is called such only in relation to outsiders (πρῶτος is used in relation to his own countrymen). It is not insignificant that ἐν plus the dative personal noun is used: the man is well known to a group of which he is not a member. Similar idioms are found in Asia Minor TAM 2.1-3.838; TAM 2.1-3. 905 west wall. coll. 3.12; and Fd Xanth 7.76.1.1.1.1.4. In each instance the group that the individual is well known to but is not a part of is mentioned with ἐν plus the dative. Although these data are not plentiful, they are excellent parallels and point in but one direction: ἐπίσημος followed by ἐν plus personal datives does not connote membership within the group, but simply that one is known by the group. Thus, the inscriptions, like biblical and patristic Greek, supply a uniform picture of ἐπίσημος with personal nouns: when followed by ἐν, the well-known individual is outside the group.5

5 Journal for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood 6, no. 2 (2001): 8.

One more source of texts is cited by the article, which is extremely relevant to this discussion:

There are several examples with personal nouns in hellenistic literature. Lucianus speaks of Harmonides the pipe-player craving fame for his musical abilities to the extent that he wants “glory before the crowds, fame among the masses” (ἡ δόξα ἡ παρὰ τῶν πολλῶν καὶ τὸ ἐπίσημον εἶναι ἐν πλήθεσι). He clearly sees himself as set apart from οἱ πολλοί! Elsewhere he uses the genitive to indicate an inclusive idea: “Show me the men of old, and particularly the famous ones among them” 6

That said, please note the fairness of the authors as the note another text in this same group of hellenistic writings:

Lucianus thus shows the same patterns that we saw earlier, viz., an exclusive notion with ἐν plus the dative and an inclusive notion with a genitive modifier. But he is not consistent in this. On at least one occasion his words unmistakably have an inclusive force for ἐν plus the dative. In his work On Salaried Posts in Great Houses, he offers advice to servants: “… you must raise your thirsty voice like a stranded frog, taking pains to be conspicuous among the claque and to lead the chorus” . . .

. . . This is the first parallel to Rom 16:7 we have seen that could offer real comfort to inclusivists. It is unmistakable, it is personal, and it is rare.7

The evidence is extremely clear. When the three criteria that we noted above are taken into consideration, the group is nearly always excluded and distinguished from the noun in the preposition. Typically, when the author prefers to include the group within the noun, they use the genitive case rather than the dative case. While there are exceptions, they are indeed "rare."

Combining the force of the syntactical evidence with the support of other biblical data and New Testament passages (which we will deal with in time), I believe there is no reason to assume that Junia or Adronicus were apostles. The ESV translation at this point is best. Now I realize that what we have discussed is not really "fun." I realize that having to go into this kind of depth in a study may seem ridiculous to some. I also realize that our conclusions are not popular or even progressive. However, even if you disagree, please note that our method of argumentation has sought to understand and take the text as it presents itself. This is not "my scholars vs your scholars" type of appeals to authority. That is how secularists and humanists argue. Arguments that seek to cloud the air with dust and mist are typical of those who are large on rhetoric and small on reasoned logic. Such arguments are NOT becoming of Christians.

One thing that I love about submitting to God's Word in every area of life is that I don't have to fear seeking out the truth. So many people do, even if they are not explicit about it. They have a gut reaction or impulse to some sort of stance or perspective, and do not want to seek out the facts on the subject for fear that they would be forced to alter their stance. People that hold to things that are actually true do this as well, but it is such a shame because they are not able to furnish good reasons for what they believe. I do not have to come to the Bible with a particular agenda (as the liberal theologians do I might add). Rather, I can approach God's Word as a humble and obedient servant and ask God to point me in the direction that he says, whether that accords with what I want or not. Such is the picture of the true heart of Christian faith.

We should not take this text as some indication that even in the early church there were women apostles in the authoritative and pastoral sense. One may seek to argue that point, but arguing it from Rom 16:7 is wrong. That said, we do clearly see here that women are included and respected by Paul in the labors of ministry and the advancement of God's Kingdom on earth. Praise God that he has called men and women both to his Son, and given clear instructions and guidance in how we are to serve Him!

-tanner

1 The Junia Project. "About the Junia Project." juniaproject.com.http://juniaproject.com/about-2/ (accessed September 6, 2014).
2 Ibid, http://juniaproject.com/who-was-junia/.
3 Ken Penner and Michael S. Heiser, “Old Testament Greek Pseudepigrapha with Morphology” (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2008), Ps Sol 2:6.
4 Burer, Michael H. and Wallace, Daniel B. "Was Junia Really an Apostle? A Reexamination of Romans 16:7" Journal for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood 6, no. 1 (2001): 7.
5 Ibid, 8.
6 Ibid.
7 Ibid.

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Politics: What Abortion is Really About

9/6/2014

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Abortion is a hot-button topic in American politics. I will say however, that it seems to have taken a bit of a back seat during our day to more prominent issues. For the liberal left, abortion is a decided issue. Anyone who disagrees hates freedom and ought to be shouted down. This is the same direction the debate over homosexuality is going as well. You can marginalize those who disagree with you by coolly asserting that their opinions are not even worth responding to. In the mind of the typical American, it seems that this tactic has worked. for those who don't think often about these issues, it seems that the most discussed stances are those that people generally side with. It kind of reminds me of how advertising works.
However, just because the legality of something has been determined does not mean that the morality of said issue is decided. That debate continues on regardless of how one may respond to the subject. This is something that we must continue to keep in mind in the political battle over homosexuality as well.

It isn't often that the true issues at hand are debated over an issue. Typically what happens is that a particular stance on an issue is taken by somebody because they can see how the other stance infringes fundamentally on one of their presuppositions. This works both ways as well. What happens typically is somebody fundamentally "feels" that abortion is right or wrong. Then they try to formulate arguments supporting their feelings. This blinds people from discussing the real issues that are fundamental to the debate and discussion. They are too committed to their presuppositions to examine them critically or to try and step into somebody else's worldview to try and understand them.

It is rare to hear straight from the pro-abortion side why they so strongly support their stance. However, I was directed to an article off of facebook where somebody in great support of abortion spelled out clearly what they think the issue is about. The article spoke of actress Sarah Paulson who was challenged by somebody in a "Taco and Beer" challenge. This is a spin-off of the wildly popular ALS Ice Bucket challenge in which the challenge is in support of abortion. What Sarah Paulson said is incredibly revealing:

“It’s about autonomy, it’s about reproductive freedom and a woman’s right to choose,”1

The first sin in the garden of Eden was autonomy. Satan tricked us into thinking that rather than submitting to God in all areas of our lives, instead we could become God. Intellectual and moral autonomy is precisely what Jesus calls us to surrender in order to die to ourselves and become his disciples. At it's core, Paulson's statement decalres that standing up for abortion is about standing up for man's most fundamental characteristic as a fallen creature. Essentially Paulson declares that the issue is about sin.

Notice also the implication of her choice term "reproductive freedom." This is ahint that the real matter is one of sexual freedom and autonomy. You see from a naturalistic or humanistic worldview sex is something that we are allowed to engage in with whomever we want whenever we want (as long as it's consensual, though even that standard is degrading). Nobody has the right to tell us what we are going to do with our bodies. Additionally, babies are simply an unfortunate result of the animalistic and sensual act that is sex. We have rationalized that because they are not born yet, they are ours for the killing.

Truly, the only grounds for any absolute standards in morality and ethics are derived from a moral Creator. Once we have abandoned many of those presuppositions, we fail to find any reasons for some of the standards that previous generations held to. For sinful man, abortion is primarily about asserting our own autonomy in this world - apart from God and his objective standard. Abortion is about rebelling against God's requirements in the area of human sexuality and doing what we see fit with our bodies. Beloved, see abortion for the slap in the face of God that it is, and do not fall prey to a compromised position of allying with the enemy.

-tanner

1 http://www.buzzfeed.com/skarlan/watch-sarah-paulson-support-reproductive-rights-while-eating#4g69frg

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Christian Living: What is Cultural Relevance?

9/3/2014

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Something that many churches aim to pursue these days is cultural relevance. I believe this is a good thing. Our faith and our religion ought to be relevant to the culture. A religion that is no longer relevant is reduced to traditionalism, and history shows us that such a reduction leads to the death of a movement. However, what exactly it means to be culturally relevant is another matter that is discussed very little. Oftentimes I think those who disagree emphatically over this issue do not take the time to understand each other properly. Defining one's terms is essential to beneficial and understandable discussion.

What then does it mean to be culturally relevant? The primary drive of culturally relevant teaching is to be able to relate material and content in one's cultural setting. This has to do primarily with an issue of context. Context is something that is very important to Christians, especially in their reading of the Scriptures. However, the context we are speaking of when we discuss cultural relevance is one's societal context. Societal context can mean something as basic as using language that your hearers can understand, to respecting traditions and customs, all the way to complex ideas of morality and perceived intentions. Being culturally relevant means communicating in a meaningful way to your hearers and respecting the customs that are in place in your context.

In this understanding or sense of the term, the Bible explicitly promotes being culturally relevant. Paul discusses communication and others understanding what you are saying in 1 Corinthians 14 when he talks about the gift of tongues. People being able to understand what is being communicated is primary for Paul. He also discusses not putting unnecessary stumbling blocks before hearers of the gospel in the same book. Additionally, he describes becoming "all things to all men" in 1 Corinthians 9, which obviously has relevance for respecting societal customs.

However, some take the issue of cultural relevance too far. Some say that when cultural morality and the Bible meet, it is the Bible that must give way - in the name of cultural relevance. This is simply the seed of postmodernism in the thinking of many professing believers. It is clear that in the same letter that Paul so promoted cultural relevance, he also condemned rampant immorality. In chapter 5 he promotes excommunication for those in the church committing adultery. In chapter 6 he lists off many vices and practices that are not appropriate at all for people to engage in and asserts that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

What then is the proper balance for us when it comes to being culturally relevant? The answer is really quite simple for us. There are certain areas that are described in the Bible as non-essentials. Paul speaks to the idea of eating food from the marketplace that had been sacrificed to idols. He says that you should not worry about such things because idols are not real and the food can be received with thanksgiving. At the same time however, Paul declares emphatically that he would not partake if it placed an unnecessary stumbling block in front of others. The key is that where the Bible says we should draw the line, like issues of morality and the gospel, then we do. Where the Bible leaves things open, we do as well, but always with an attitude of love.

However, this topic drives at something much deeper, something that betrays the overwhelming relevance of the Christian worldview. A culturally relevant message is one that means something and makes a difference for the society at which it is directed. The Bible's central theme and message is emphatically relevant because it deals with the most fundamental problems with mankind. You want to know a religion that fails the relevance test? Look at Islam. Far from being focused upon overarching truth that addresses man's fundamental issues and problems regardless of his age or society, Islam is obsessed with imposing 6th and 7th century Middle Eastern culture on a 21st century world. Sure, the Bible has descriptions of similar laws and practices for it's society, but such practices are overtly NOT normative for all time. Rather, Jesus himself makes a sharp distinction between those biblical issues that are traditionally and culturally driven, and those issues that are from God himself. The Qur'an's insistence on the establishment of Sharia Law even centuries later betrays the fact that the book is not divine. It does not speak to all men for all time the way that only God can speak.

Instead, the Bible is primarily wrapped up with one theme: how can man be right with God? Every book and chapter in some way seeks to drive at this problem. The answer is foreshadowed, hinted at, and expressly declared to be Jesus Christ. Christianity is overwhelmingly relevant because men are still sinners that need a Savior. We do not have to tone down our message or sugar-coat the truth. In fact we ought NOT to do so! To engage in such behavior perverts the message and actually takes the power from it. Nothing could be more relevant for our society than the simple preaching of the gospel, and the imposition of the Christian worldview into all areas of life. We need to get back to the Bible. Then we will find that we are more relevant to our culture than we ever could have imagined ourselves to be in our own wisdom and planning.

-tanner

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Serving the Saints: A Primary Evidence of Salvation

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Update: A Busy Month

Theology: Who is Junia, and Why Should You Care?

Politics: What Abortion is Really About

Christian Living: What is Cultural Relevance?

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