Fly!

Run, John, run, the law commands, 

But gives us neither feet nor hands. 

Far better news the gospel brings: 

It bids us fly and gives us wings.

John Bunyan???

Run, John, and work, the law commands,

yet finds me neither feet nor hands,

But sweeter news the gospel brings,

it bids me fly and lends me wings!

John Berridge

A rigid matter was the law,

demanding brick, denying straw,

But when with gospel tongue it sings,

it bids me fly and gives me wings

Ralph Erksine

These three little poems do not set the Law of God against the Gospel of God. Instead, they reveal just how good the Good News is. It is exceedingly and abundantly good, for even though both come with commands to follow, only one actually empowers us to comply.

In his first letter to the church, Peter writes instructions for the church to follow (1 Peter 1:13-25) – put your hope fully in Christ, turn from your former desires, be holy, conduct yourselves fearfully and love one another earnestly. Without Jesus these words would just be another law to follow and fail. The beauty of the Gospel is that by its regenerating work in us, what the law was powerless to do, God has enabled through Jesus. Now we can do the very things that without Christ would have been impossible before, so stretch out your wings and fly.

59 One Anothers

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a
sincere brotherly love,love one another earnestly from a pure heart,
1 Peter 1:22 (ESV) 

Fifty-nine times the New Testament Scripture calls us to do something toward one another, meaning the church family. Serve one another, forgive one another, and submit to one another are just a sampling of these. But, it seems the most repeated "one another" command given in the Scripture is to love one another.

I think this is because, at least in part, we need to be reminded of this. Loving our brothers and sisters in Christ in the same way that we have been loved is totally new to us. We have been loving ourselves over everyone else for years. We have considered love an emotion most of our lives. But to love one another sacrificially, actively, and unconditionally and willfully - that is new. The only reason we can love one another this way is because God has enabled us to do it. Of course, we need to be reminded regularly to love one another and we will need to be reminded until Jesus comes back.

But primarily I think the reason this particular command is repeated more than the other “one another” commands is that it is required if we are going to carry out the others. To forgive one another is an act of love towards one another; so is serving one another in the same way we have been served. And, to submit to one another (to give up my own will for another’s best interest) demands that I love that person.

When we love one another sincerely and earnestly from a pure heart as Peter calls us to in his letter, I am pretty well convinced the other “one another” commands will come naturally. In addition, the watching world will be given the treat to see God’s Gospel on display among His people.

Below is an infographic I found at overviewbible.com that will give you a fuller picture of these "one another" commands. I pray it will prove helpful as you strive to love one another.

Who Am I?

We will likely never fully comprehend the full beauty of the Gospel. To consider that God has chosen us before the foundation of the world according to His own foreknowledge of us, truly is beyond my own limited capability. To somehow imagine the depths of my sin being forgiven and the riches of God’s grace and mercy replacing it seems too much to wrap my mind around. To think of myself and my brothers and sisters in Christ in the terms that God has used to refer to us is in and of itself a discipline that requires practice. It is so much easier to consider myself from my own perspective. Or to determine who I am based on what everyone other than God says about me rather than resting in His all-knowing, eternal, and sovereign view.

So, I remind myself regularly, from passages just like the one we have been studying in 1 Peter – consider again who God says you are, remember with me who He says we are …

1 Pet 1:1-21 –

• Chosen by the Father – he picked you.
• Foreknown by the Father – before you were, He knew you personally, intimately, lovingly
• Exiles – outcasts in the world because we belong to Him
• Sanctified by the Spirit –  cleansed, purified, set apart, made holy by God’s work
• Sprinkled by the blood of Christ – He atones for our sin, by His death we are made clean.
• Recipients of Great Mercy – deserving of judgment and condemnation but it has been relieved
• Born Again -  recipient of new life, spiritual and eternal life
• Beneficiary of God – He has given us and guaranteed us an eternal inheritance
• Protected by God – His eternal power is shielding us even in the midst of difficulty
• Saved – we are safe, there is nothing that can truly harm us ever again
• Served by God – He has served us in salvation, not the other way around
• Holy – we may be exiles in the world, but we are set apart to be members of His Kingdom
• Children of God – we are more than citizens of the Kingdom we are the adopted children of the King.
• Ransomed – purchased at a price, we are a people that He valued and now possesses. He created us and then even had to buy us in order to free us.

We may not be able to comprehend it fully. We may not even be able to explain it as well as others, but there is no doubt that what God has done gives us great reason to rejoice (1 Peter 1:6). Remember, who He says you are; it is the source of your joy, your peace, your satisfaction and contentment as you wait for Him.

In this we rejoice!

Gospel Doctrine a Solid Foundation

Doctrine matters. Theological views matter. This of course like everything else is debated within the church and even by onlookers to the church. But, the fact that this is a debated view demonstrates that doctrine matters. Holding that doctrine or theology doesn't matter is in and of itself a doctrinal perspective. We all believe certain things about God: who He is, if He exists, and if He does what He is up to in the world.

The question isn't do we have a theological view; instead it is -- what is our theological view? We all have one. Atheists and Agnostics depend on a theological view in the same way that Christians do. Their lives are lived in light of their view of God in the same way Christians make life decisions in the light of their view of God and His work on their behalf.

This is why it is so important to take time to study and know what God's Word reveals. This why to be healthy a healthy church must build our view of God and His work in the world on the Scriptures and not what feels good in our gut or makes sense to the world but what God has said He is doing. Gospel doctrine (the work that God has done to save us and our response to it) is foundational to the health of the church.

Peter understood this. It is obvious as he writes his first letter to the church. He fills the opening verses full of Gospel doctrine. Then, every word that follows the introduction is founded on what he has already written. He knows for the church to endure, function and fulfill its purpose they must be standing on the rock of Gospel doctrine.

Gospel Doctrine is often considered in terms of a logical flow of God's work and our response. This is called the Ordo Salutis, a latin term that simply means the Order of Salvation. In the protestant view there are two major perspectives, one emphasizes man's role alongside God in our salvation the other emphasizes God's work to save man and man's response to God's work. I believe Peter's view, as represented in 1 Peter 1:1-5, emphasizes the latter. I have attached an infographic that I think will help illustrate this further. Let me encourage you to study 1 Peter 1:1-5 - is the process depicted in this image demonstrated in those verses?

Election God's Choice

"God will not hold us responsible to understand the mysteries of election, predestination and the divine sovereignty. The best and safest way to deal with these truths is to raise our eyes to God and in deepest reverence say, 'O Lord, Thou knowest.' Those things belong to the deep and mysterious Profound of God's omniscience. Prying into them may make theologians, but it will never make saints." A.W. Tozer The Pursuit of God

It has been some time since I read this book by Tozer, so I was grateful to have come across this quote in my newsfeed this week; especially having just preached on God's sovereign work in salvation this past Sunday. It is a good reminder that we are not more acceptable to God based on our own depth of knowledge or our ability to fully comprehend eternal truths. I am grateful that God does know.

However, don't misunderstand the quote. In its context Tozer is not telling us to not investigate or appreciate the eternal doctrines of God. Instead he is warning us not to become so preoccupied with them that we lose sight of the great God they point toward. While that warning is important in some contexts. The opposing warning is just as necessary in ours -- don't ignore the deep and eternal doctrines of God simply because we can't understand them fully. Because in them, we are introduced to the God worthy to be praised with our words, honored with our actions, and loved with our whole beings.

We are all theologians. As His creation, we can't help but hold theological perspectives. Even atheists and agnostics have a theological view. Their views are based on experience and individual perspectives, but it is a theological view none the less. As saints (people who have been made holy by God) it should be our desire to hold a theological perspective based on the Scriptures (God's revelation of Himself and His work in the world). So, while we will not fully comprehend it, we shouldn't ignore any biblical doctrine.
To that end, I post this hoping to encourage you to explore the Scriptures to learn and come to know the Creator who chose to be your Savior more deeply. After all, knowing Him is truly where a healthy church finds its roots.

4 Views
Anyone that studies the Bible for any amount of time has to come to some understanding of the doctrine of election. Ignoring it doesn't change that it is thoroughly presented from Genesis through Revelation. A few Scriptures that teach this doctrine as it pertains to Christians are -- Romans Chapters 8 and 9; Ephesians Chapters 1 and 2; 1 Peter Chapters 1 and 2

That being said there are 4 basic historical views that have been held; two of which have been demonstrated to be heretical views that oppose God's doctrines of salvation and therefore are not compatible with Christian belief.

Universalism (heresy) -- the heresy that God chooses to save everyone in spite of their rejection of Him. This position holds ultimately that all will eventually choose God. Obviously, Scripture demonstrates clearly that not everyone makes it to heaven. People will die and spend eternity condemned as a result of their rejection of God. This shouldn't bring us pleasure nor indifference. This is a real problem with a real answer -- His name is Jesus.

Pelagianism / Semi-Pelagianism (heresy) -- Pelagianism is the view that mankind does not carry the stain of sin in our nature. Therefore, we need no help in choosing to do good or evil. We are completely free to make these determinations. Semi-Pelagianism is a softened view of this doctrine. However, both would demonstrate that mankind partners with God in salvation and that God will not act without the willful choice of a person to turn towards Him. The great danger with this view is that it requires that we earn salvation by doing the work of finding and believing God ourselves before He acts on our behalf. In addition it subordinates God to being our assistant and us directing God's actions. Obviously, scripture teaches against this -- Romans 3

Conditional Election -- the view that as a result of a common grace God has provided to everyone (prevenient grace) all people have been empowered by God to believe if they so desire. God then chose before the foundation of the world those He knew would believe in Him as a result of His prevenient grace and who would reject his offer of salvation. The strength of this doctrine is that it seeks to defend a Biblical view that salvation through Jesus has been made available to everyone. However, the great difficulty is that the perspective held for this view of prevenient grace is very difficult to defend biblically. Without prevenient grace this view becomes semi-pelagianism. If a person chooses to hold this view, they must ensure that there is reason to believe that God's grace given to a person prior to their confession of faith is not the same grace that ultimately brought that person to faith.

Unconditional Election -- This view is that God chooses some to be saved not because He is obligated to choose or because anyone deserves to be chosen but as an act of His sovereign grace and mercy. In choosing some, He passes over others not because they are more deserving or more sinful but simply as an act of His sovereign justice and righteousness. This view emphasizes that salvation is truly and completely God's work and that mankind are simply recipients of His benevolence. This view does not deny that salvation is truly available to all, but recognizes that because we are all sinners and that no one seeks God (Romans 3 10-18) if God had not sovereignly chosen to save some then none would have been saved.

This final view is the view held by your Pastors. We believe it, after much study, to be the most bibically sound. We understand it raises questions and builds in tension. We recognize with Tozer that we will not fully or completely understand. So we stand grateful that God knows. In addition it is not a view that we expect everyone to adhere to or agree with us in. But, we desire to extend grace and allow room for discussion with those who would hold their views in light of the Scripture.

For Further Study
Wayne Grudem -- Election and Reprobation -- a very pastoral handling of this doctrine. Answers many of the objections that people struggle with.
MP3 part 1 MP3 part 2 Outline for MP3's - 012708.pdf

Roger Olson -- Election is for Everyone -- Roger Olson holds a Conditional Election view -- this article is helpful because it demonstrates just how deeply this doctrine runs through Scripture and demonstrates that no matter how you approach salvation from the Bible you must deal with this doctrine.

Ernest Reisinger -- Election Stated and Defended -- thoroughly explains the doctrine of election and its implications.

John Piper -- Five Reasons to Embrace Election