The Ohio Bible Fellowship Visitor

Scripture’s description of the Lord’s Table on the night before His crucifixion is full of dramatic truths. By tying the ordinance to the Old Testament Passover (Matt 26:17, 26), He signified His redemption of mankind from sin’s bondage and equated Himself with the Passover’s sacrificial lamb, demonstrating that His death would turn away the wrath of God and effectively end the need for animal sacrifice. By stating that the cup was the New Covenant inaugurated with His blood (Matt 26:27–28), He fulfilled Old Testament prophecies and marked a distinct change in the way in which God would deal with sinful men (Jer 31:31–34). Finally, He set up a perpetual memorial of Himself, giving us symbols representing His body and blood to remind us of Him until He returns (Matt 26:26–29; 1 Cor 11:23–26).

The last of those lessons is probably the best understood: Christ established the Lord’s Table as a “remembrance.” What we often miss, however, is the startling fact that Christ found it necessary to institute a reminder of His suffering on our behalf. What a devastating indictment Christ made of even saved men! Might we forget that Christ lived a perfect life on our behalf? Forget that He bore our sin on His body on the cross? Forget that He suffered the undiluted and infinite wrath of God that we might enjoy His favor? Forget that He was forsaken by His Father so we might be received? Is it possible we could be so ungrateful and distracted?

Indeed it is. Christ knew the frailty and folly of human hearts. He knew we would forget His saving work, and we have proven Him right countless times. Certainly we don’t forget that these events happened in history, but we suffer a practical amnesia when we act as though Christ’s sacrifice for our sins is irrelevant for real life. Even more amazing than our neglect of Christ is that He saved us although He knew we would so easily forget Him. Knowing that we are “prone to wander,” Jesus set up a beautiful reminder to direct our thoughts toward His saving work, past, present and future. The Lord’s Table is a unique gift to the body of Christ. It is an important part of our sanctification—not because there is any particular power in the elements or in the ritual (the error promoted by the Roman Catholic Church), but because the Lord’s Table seizes the attention of a distracted church and makes us “behold the Lamb of God” anew. And gazing on Christ is indeed a sanctifying practice (2 Cor 3:18)!

The gathering of Christ’s church in remembrance of Christ’s work and anticipation of Christ’s return is precious to God—so precious that He commanded its regular observance: “Do this in remembrance of me.” It should be equally precious to us, lest we forget.

“Earnestly contend for the faith.” This statement from Jude 3 has long been the battle cry of fundamentalist Christians, those who are willing to do “battle royal” in defense of biblical doctrine. Fundamentalists have rightly appealed to Jude as an example of a faithful defender of the faith. He willingly entered the fray for the sake of the truth, and he called on his readers (including us!) to join him.

However, Jude’s epistle is not merely a call to arms, though it certainly is that. Jude provides us with a philosophy of ministry that includes—but is not limited to—defending the faith. Indeed, his epistle gives us a look at his own heart. Though we know comparatively little about this half brother of Christ, I admire him and relate to him. If we are willing to learn, Jude can teach us much regarding the role of the believer in a wicked world. In particular, he shows us what it means to love the gospel.

Continue reading ‘Gospel-Driven Separation’

As a parent and a pastor, I’ve thought often of Ephesians 6:4. However, until recently, I haven’t understood the connection between its two imperatives: provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture (disciplined instruction) and admonition (compelling warning) of the Lord. Two points are particularly important, I think. Continue reading ‘Exasperation or Instruction?’

The human heart is ridiculous and rebellious in its pride. I call our pride ridiculous because it is groundless—we have no reason to be arrogant. I call our pride rebellious because it is an attempt to steal glory from God, the very sin which caused Lucifer to be banished from heaven.

Because pride is a besetting sin of my own heart, I have endeavored to battle it in various and sometimes humorous ways. I remember walking around the campus of my Christian college reminding myself to “Be meek, be meek, be meek”—as though the key to humility were the way I walked, stood, or spoke. Ironically, this was actually motivated by pride. What I didn’t know is that the greatest enemy of human pride is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Nothing is more humbling than considering the death our Savior suffered for our sins.

The Apostle Paul demonstrates the humbling effect of the gospel in 1 Timothy 1:15. He proclaims with certainty that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” While his description of Christ’s mission is glorious, his indictment of himself as the worst of sinners is surprising, especially in light of the many “depravity lists” he penned in the Scriptures (Rom 1:28–32; Gal 5:24–25; 2 Tim 3:1–9; et al). Did he really consider himself to be a more grievous sinner than idolaters, murderers, and the sexually perverse? It seems from his own testimony that he did. There’s no indication that he is speaking hyperbolically. Two aspects of his salvation humbled Paul:

Paul was humbled by his own sin.
In 1 Timothy 1:13, Paul remembered that he was a blasphemer of God, a persecutor of Christ’s church, and a violent opponent of God’s work. Paul perpetually remembered his sinful opposition to the gospel (see Acts 22:4; 26:9–11; 1 Cor 15:9; Gal 1:13; Eph 3:8; Phil 3:6). In addition to remembering his past offences, Paul used a present tense verb (“I am chief”) to claim that he was still the chief of sinners.

Paul was humbled by God’s grace.
Paul often rehearsed the fact that Christ endured the wrath of God which his sin earned (Rom. 3:25; 5:8; 1 Cor 15:3). He knew that he was saved in spite of himself, and that his salvation was entirely due to God’s great grace. In the immediate context around 1 Timothy 1:15, Paul expressed gratitude that God would not only save a wretch like him, but would actually entrust him with the ministry (vv. 12–13). What was the reason for God’s working in Paul’s life? Only the super-abundant grace of God extended through Christ and accompanied by faith and love (v. 14). And what was the result of God’s working in Paul’s life? Paul became a trophy of God’s grace. A Savior who can forgive a blasphemer and persecutor can save anyone (v. 16), earning Him eternal glory (v. 17)!

Like Paul, our wonder at the gospel must never diminish, for the work of Christ is the only remedy for sin, including pride. When you meditate on your sinfulness, what it cost your Savior, and the grace God extended in saving you, you will agree with Paul that “I am the worst sinner I know.” It’s impossible to think on the cross and come to any other conclusion. At the foot of Christ’s cross, boasting is indeed excluded (Rom. 3:27). Look to Christ on the cross and you will inevitably confess with the hymn writer two great wonders: “the wonders of redeeming love, and my unworthiness.”

September 2007

How many sermons have you preached or heard that were not distinctly Christian? If we answer honestly, many sermons (on virtues, parenting, responsibilities, sins, etc.) might be well-received in a synagogue, mosque, Kingdom Hall, or Mormon church because these messages aren’t distinctly Christian. They offer people morality rather than Christianity, setting them up for frustration and failure.

I’m not suggesting we allegorize Scripture or find a type of Christ behind every bush. Absolutely not! While we must always take a normal, grammatical, historical approach to interpreting each passage, we must also consider the implications of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. Like the writers of the New Testament, we must demonstrate that Old Testament prohibitions of sin demonstrate the need of a Savior, that Old Testament sacrifices point to Christ, that failures of the best Old Testament characters highlight the need for a perfect Prophet, Priest and King. We must show that biblical commands call for submission to the Lordship of Christ, and that we are only able to obey them because of Christ’s finished work. Whether in our preaching, teaching, or personal Bible study, we must demonstrate that the heart of the Scriptures is the Lord Jesus—that the Scriptures all “testify of Him” (John 5:39).

Why don’t we preach Christ this way? For one thing, we mistakenly think of the gospel as good news about the start of the Christian life rather than the basis for all of the Christian life. The entire New Testament focuses on the gospel, even though the vast majority of it was written for those who were born again! The cross work of Christ is as central to progressive sanctification (Rom 6) as to justification (Rom 4–5)! Paul’s practice was to preach gospel truth (e.g., Rom 1–11, Eph 1–3), then apply it to everyday life (as in Romans 12–16 and Ephesians 4–6). He explained every detail of Christian living in the shadow of the cross.

Often we forget that “context” is more than just the words, sentences and paragraphs surrounding a particular text. The larger context for every passage and message is Christianity. We must preach a distinctly Christian message about every issue, determining, like Paul, to preach nothing but “Christ crucified” (1 Cor 2:1–2). Every message will not necessarily have evangelism as the primary objective, nor will we be perpetually dispensing spiritual “milk.” (After all, the “meat” to which Hebrews 5 alludes is about Christ!) Rather, every message must apply “Christ crucified” to the sermon’s particular text and to everyday life. How does the gospel affect our parenting? Our struggles with temptation? Our entertainment? Our careers?

We dare not get over the gospel, whether in our preaching or in our daily lives. Only preaching that understands and applies Scripture in light of Christ’s work is distinctly Christian preaching.

August 2007

The doctrine of imputed righteousness and unrighteousness is awe-inspiring. Scripture teaches that God has credited all of my sin to Christ and punished Him as though He were a sinner, while also crediting all of Christ’s righteousness to me and rewarding me as though I were holy (2 Cor 5:21; 1 Pet 2:24). God put my sin on Christ, then judged and forsook Him so that He might not do the same to me? Astounding. And God treats me as though I were as blameless as His Son? Glorious.

Scripture sometimes pictures this amazing transfer as an exchange of garments (Isa 61:10; Zech 3:1–5; Phil 3:9; Rev 4:4; 7:9–14; 19:7–8). My meditations on these great truths have resulted in a new hymn highlighting the doctrine of imputation. It can be sung to Eventide, the tune usually associated with the hymn “Abide with Me.”

His Robes for Mine
His robes for mine: O wonderful exchange!
Clothed in my sin, Christ suffered ’neath God’s rage.
Draped in His righteousness, I’m justified!
In Christ I live, for in my place He died.

His robes for mine: my God, how can it be?
Jesus is crushed, and thus the Father’s pleased?
Christ drank the dregs of God’s just wrath on sin:
God is appeased; propitiation, won!

His robes for mine, how terrible the cost:
Jesus forsaken; God estranged from God!
He, as though I, was banished—left alone!
I, as though He, am cherished—welcomed home!

His robes for mine: such anguish none can know:
Christ, God’s beloved, judged as though His foe!
Smitten by God, and spit upon by men?
Free my salvation, yet not free to Him!

His robes for mine, what cause have I for dread?
God’s daunting Law Christ mastered in my stead.
Faultless I stand, with righteous works not mine,
Saved by my Lord’s vicarious death—and life!

His robes for mine, the suffering is done:
Sin’s dreadful wage was paid by God’s Just Son.
Bought by such love, my life is not my own:
My praise—my all—shall be for Christ alone!

July 2007

Gathering with the Lord’s church to remember Christ and His work is a vital part of Christian worship and an edifying exercise for both the corporate body and the individual Christian. Yet, Scripture protects this blessed rite in 1 Corinthians 11:27, where we are warned not to partake “unworthily.” That’s important—so important that people can suffer illness or even death for doing it. But what does it mean?

Let’s consider what it doesn’t mean. It doesn’t mean that you must be “worthy” to participate based on your performance as a Christian. You’re not ready to partake because you’ve “been good.”

First, regardless of what you may think, you’ve never been good. The fact that you think you have just demonstrates that your standard of “good” is far different than God’s.

Second, Paul isn’t saying that your spiritual performance determines your worthiness. That would be legalism in the truest sense—the idea that your obedience makes you more or less acceptable to God.

Third, the fact that you’re unworthy is the whole point! That’s why Christ came and offered His body to be broken and His blood to be spilled.

If Scripture isn’t dealing with the worthiness of the Christian, what is it doing? Well, the word “unworthily” is an adverb, not an adjective. That means that “unworthily” is describing the partaking (“eat” and “drink”), not the participants. It’s not saying that we must be worthy in ourselves, but that our manner of partaking must be worthy, and it tells us what that means.

• To promote or allow a factious spirit is partaking in an unworthy manner (vv. 18–20, 33).
• To partake selfishly and thoughtlessly is partaking in an unworthy manner (vv. 21–22, 33–34).
• To have a self-satisfied, flippant attitude is partaking in an unworthy manner (vv. 28, 31).
• To treat the Lord’s Table like a common thing is partaking in an unworthy manner (v. 29b).

What a privilege it is to fellowship with Christ’s church, worshiping Christ’s person, remembering Christ’s work, and awaiting Christ’s return! This is a precious time: take pains to approach it as Scripture requires. Your spirit and decorum as you consider Christ’s person and work should be appropriate for the solemn occasion. Be reverent, humble and thoughtful as you gaze on Christ through this ordinance.

Make no mistake: Scripture commands you to examine yourself (v. 28). But you’re not worthy, and you never will be. Approach your Lord on the basis of Christ’s merit, not your own. Partake in remembrance of Him, not yourself.

June 2007

We typically think of the Pharisees as legalists. They are criticized for requiring strict adherence to fine details of obscure laws. They are dismissed as the “prudes” of their day. In fact, the term “Pharisee” has become a favorite smear people use to criticize anyone with a standard stricter than their own. However, a look at the biblical evidence indicates that describing the Pharisees as legalists is only half right.

There is no question that the Pharisees were legalists in that they promoted a works-based religion. However, though they were strict about some laws (particularly those of their own invention), they repeatedly “laid aside” and “rejected” the commands of God (Mark 7:8–9).

They were guilty of spiritual pride and ambition (Matt 23:5–7), thus stealing God’s glory while also neglecting the first and great commandment (Matt 22:37–38). They permitted their hearers to neglect their duties to parents (Mark 7:10–11), thus circumventing the fifth commandment. They arranged the murder of Christ (Matt 21:46; 26:3), thus breaking the sixth commandment. They were guilty of thievery (Matt 23:14, 25), thus circumventing the eighth commandment. They permitted their hearers to break their promises (Matt 23:16–22) and even sought false witnesses against Christ (Matt 26:59), thus circumventing and breaking the ninth commandment. They were guilty of lust, self-indulgence and impurity (Matt 23:25, 27), thus breaking the tenth commandment (and perhaps the seventh).

The Pharisees supplemented their legalism with a sort of license that allowed themselves and their hearers to break God’s law with impunity. They were ostensibly zealous for some aspects of the law, but they neatly explained away “the weightier matters of the law,” such as justice, mercy and faith (Matt 23:23). They were condemned by Christ not only for straining out moral gnats, but for swallowing immoral camels (Matt 23:24). In that sense, they may accurately be described as the spiritual forebears of today’s libertines who gain hearers by inventing loopholes for divine imperatives. But more importantly, they may accurately be described as the spiritual forebears of those who maximize some laws while excusing themselves from others, and we all do that! We would do well to study the Pharisees’ errors with a bit more precision—and a bit more introspection.

March 2007

Contextualizing the gospel is the only way the church can impact our culture. If we want our message to gain a hearing, we must contextualize it—we must communicate it in a way that our hearers can relate to and understand. For example, since postmodernists reject the concepts of authority and truth that previous generations assumed, our approach cannot remain the same. The world has changed, and if we refuse to change with it, the gospel will get left behind.

Or so we are told by the prophets of contextualization.

Continue reading ‘Shall We Contextualize the Gospel?’

Philippians 4:4 is a verse that I have recited (and sung) since I was a boy: “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.” I’ve understood the command to rejoice. However, it seemed to me that the phrase “in the Lord” was added to make a fairly normal phrase sound more spiritual. It was “window dressing,” or so I figured. Boy, was I wrong. The phrase “in the Lord” is essential. It’s the heart of the verse. It reveals the very source of joy. All Christians, in all circumstances, and at all times are commanded to find their joy in Christ. That, friends, is a life-changing truth!

There is joy in Christ!
Intimate fellowship with Christ is a pleasure. He offers more than forgiveness of sins—He offers Himself, and thus He offers fullness of joy (John 15:11; 17:13). A friend recently shared with me a testimony of what God is doing in his life. He has been a dutiful Christian for years. However, he confessed that his relationship with the Lord has sometimes seemed like castor oil: good for you, but not very enjoyable. Sadly, I don’t think he’s alone in his experience. Recently, however, he’s learning that walking with Christ is a delight, not merely a duty, and it’s changing the way he lives and thinks. What a liberating realization!

There is joy in Christ alone!
Learning that joy is found only in fellowship with Christ is the key to godly living (Ps 16:11). It means that enduring joy will never be found elsewhere—not in pleasure, not in your spouse, not in alcohol, not in success, not even in ministry. That’s a key lesson for every Christian to learn. If you look elsewhere for satisfaction, you look in vain. That’s the whole point of Ecclesiastes: meaningful joy is found only in intimacy with God. Learning this lesson takes the teeth out of temptation, for sin cannot bring you joy. It also takes the edge off of discouragement, for your joy never rested in your circumstances (Ps 73:25–26; Hab 3:17–18). Read the Scriptures and see if this is not true: the most joyful believers have often been the most mistreated believers. Why? Because they learned to rejoice in the Lord. This is an important truth: your joy will be as constant as its cause. When your joy springs from your union with Christ, you can genuinely rejoice always (Phil 4:4).

Rejoice, friends. Rejoice “in the Lord.”

January 2007