wordofgod: May 2023

Wednesday, May 31, 2023

Is Sex Before Marriage a Sin?

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Do you know unmarried couples who attend church, have consensual sex, and may even live together? According to a study by the Barna Group,

The majority of American adults believe cohabitation is generally a good idea. Two thirds of adults (65%) either strongly or somewhat agree that it’s a good idea to live with one’s significant other before getting married, compared to one-third (35%) who either strongly or somewhat disagree. (Barna Group, “Majority of Americans Now Believe in Cohabitation,” June 24, 2016)

Of the 65 percent of American adults surveyed who were okay with cohabitation, a good number of them identified themselves as Christians. In fact, 41 percent of practicing Christians surveyed (defined by Barna as “those who attend a religious service at least once a month, who say their faith is very important in their lives and self-identify as a Christian”) approved of living together before marriage. While this figure is far below the 88 percent approval by people who do not profess any kind of faith, the fact that over 40 percent of self-professing Christians tolerate cohabitation attests to the far-reaching effects of secular culture upon believers.

The reasons people marry today are not necessarily the same as what has motivated couples to exchange vows throughout history. According to Roxanne Stone, editor in chief at Barna Group,

The institution of marriage has undergone significant shifts in the last century…What was once seen as primarily an economic and procreational partnership, has become an exercise in finding your soulmate....[Young people] want to make sure they get it right and to avoid the heartbreak they witnessed in the lives of their parents or their friends’ parents. Living together has become a de facto way of testing the relationship before making a final commitment.

Many Christian couples justify cohabitation with the rationalization that they are going to get married eventually. The demands of school, career, concerns regarding compatibility, and the desire to save enough money to buy a home (or even pay for a wedding!) are all reasons Christians give for delaying marriage and having sex in the meantime. Should church leaders look the other way when they know unmarried couples in their congregation are living together? What does the Bible have to say about sex before marriage?

OpenBible.com lists one hundred Bible passages on the topic of fornication (sexual immorality), and every one of these passages condemns the practice. The Greek word for fornication is πορνεία (porneía), and it occurs twenty-five times in the New Testament. The word porneía is a broad term referring to sexual immorality of any type.

Scripture uses the word porneía in regard to the temptation to engage in sexual activity outside of marriage:

But because of the temptation to sexual immorality (porneías), each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. (1 Cor. 7:2)

Notice that Paul does not say, “each man should have his own committed partner, and each woman her own committed partner.” The sexual immorality to which Paul is referring here happens when sex occurs outside of the marital union.

Earlier in his letter to the Corinthians, Paul uses the same root word in his list of immoralities that should never characterize God’s people:

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral (pornoi), nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Cor. 6:9–11)

I could go into detail about how human marriage is an analogy of the believer’s union with Christ, why children are better off in a family with a mother and father who are married to each other, and why marriage creates an atmosphere of trust and stability that cohabitation, by definition, can never provide. Stone concludes that the solution lies with this kind of logic:

Religious leaders will need to promote the countercultural trend by celebrating the reasons to wait—rather than trying to find evidence for why it’s wrong (because such tangible, measurable evidence may not exist). What are the spiritual reasons for waiting? How does waiting promote better discipleship? Better marriages? A better family life? These are the questions that young people, in particular, will need answered in order to resist the cultural tide toward cohabitation.

Even though there certainly are compelling benefits for Christians to choose to marry instead of cohabitate, the most compelling reason of all is actually the one Stone dismisses due to a possible lack of evidence: obedience.

If you believe Christ died on a cross for your sins and you are trusting in Christ alone for your salvation, Christ commands you to pick up your cross and follow him (Matt. 16:24). Sex outside of marriage is a sin, no matter how a person tries to interpret Scripture otherwise, and every Christian is called to obey God in this aspect of life. Jesus said,

“Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” (John 14:21)

The apostle John reinforces the necessity for Christians to obey God’s commands:

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. (1 John 5:3)

We have all sinned. We have all done things we wish we could undo. We have all fallen short. Because of our sin and guilt, God sent his Son into the world so that we would receive grace, forgiveness, and reconciliation with God by faith alone in Christ alone (Rom. 5:10; Eph. 2:8–9). Being a Christian doesn't mean we will never sin in this life. It does mean that we should never be okay with sinning or condone it.

All believers face a lifelong battle against sin, and sometimes—or even often—we will fail in a particular struggle (Rom. 7:14–25). God's grace is waiting to embrace us in these moments (Rom. 3:20–24; 1 John 1:9).

Here’s the thing: you do not have to be defined by what you have done up to this point in time. If you are cohabitating with someone, you have a duty before God to stop having sex and move out right now. Just because we cannot keep God’s commands perfectly in this life doesn’t mean we shouldn’t seek God’s help in fighting sin and try with all our might to do what is right in his sight.

Here are some positive steps you can take right now to obey God when it comes to the Bible’s command to abstain from fornication:

If you are cohabitating with someone, move out immediately and find a suitable roommate with whom you are not sexually involved.
Inform your boyfriend/girlfriend/fiancé regarding your commitment to abstain from sex before marriage.
Establish accountability with your pastor and/or elder of your church regarding being sexually pure.
If you attend a church with no formal membership, where you can come and go as you please without any accountability regarding your moral choices, begin attending a church where you will have that accountability. If you have been skipping church because you feel guilty/convicted about your sin, schedule a meeting with your pastor or elders today and give them the opportunity to support you in your determination to obey God in the area of sexual purity.
Distance yourself from church-going friends who persist in cohabitating, and build relationships with Christians who will encourage you and hold you accountable in abstaining from sex before marriage.

Are you worried that your relationship might not survive a commitment to abstinence? Well, it’s better to know now what kind of person you are involved with. If your partner cannot sacrifice the physical pleasures of sex so that you can be obedient to God, then this person may not be willing to make the sacrifices that are sure to come later in married life when one of you is physically or mentally ill, there is marital discord, or you are just tired of being married to each other for whatever reason. Marry someone who encourages you in godly obedience, not someone who leads you astray.

It’s never too late to start obeying your Savior and make good choices that honor God. Don’t believe the lie that if you have sinned in the area of sexual purity with your significant other, you have already messed up and it’s too late.

God is not a cosmic party pooper. He gives us boundaries for a very good reason: it is through obeying God’s commands that we show love for our Lord, our neighbors, and even ourselves. Ask God today for his forgiveness in any area you have sinned, turn away from activities that dishonor him, and commit to walking uprightly in the light of his love and mercy.

Le Ann Trees is managing editor of Beautiful Christian Life. This article has been updated since its original publishing date of December 6, 2017.

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Tuesday, May 30, 2023

3 Reasons Why Everyone Needs a Kinsman Redeemer

Ruth and Boaz, Claes Corneliszoon Moeyaert, 1628; image from Wikimedia Commons. — *Ruth and Boaz,* Claes Corneliszoon Moeyaert, 1628; image from Wikimedia Commons.

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In the Mosaic law, God made a provision for his people to experience something of a typical redemption, through a close relative, from the burden of sin and misery. The story of Ruth is the well-known story of redemption by a kinsman redeemer. In his excellent commentary on Ruth, Iain D. Campbell explains how there were three circumstances during the old covenant era in which God gave provision for there to be a kinsman redeemer.

1. Blood—the kinsman had the duty to respect the blood of his relative.

Campbell writes:

There were some circumstances that could arise in the course of family life in the Old Testament that required the services of a kinsman. If, for example, the blood of a member of the family was shed—if someone was murdered in the family, it was the responsibility of the kinsman to avenge the blood of his relative. It was the kinsman that pursued the murderer. God set apart six cities in Israel to be cities of refuge, to which the slayer of blood could run for refuge and sanctuary. However, the slayer of blood was pursued constantly by the kinsman who was going to avenge the death and the blood of his relative.

2. Liberty—the kinsman had the duty to respect the liberty of his relative.

There were also instances where a member of the family became so poor that he had to sell himself into slavery. It was the responsibility of the kinsman, if he could, to secure a ransom price that would release that person from his slavery and give him freedom.

3. Property—the kinsman had the duty to respect the property of his relative.

The particular duty of the kinsman that is highlighted in the Book of Ruth dealt with property. There was a threefold duty of the kinsman—to respect the blood of his relative, the liberty of his relative, and the property of his relative. If for some reason the property or the land was forfeited by the man who owned it and was lost to him because he was poor, it was the duty of the kinsman to try and redeem it until the year of jubilee, every fiftieth year in Israel, when the land was restored to those that originally possessed it. [1]

Jesus is our redeeming elder brother.

All of this was, of course, typical of what Jesus, our redeeming elder brother (Heb. 2:10-18), would do for us in the work of redemption. Jesus came to shed his blood for the guilty. In this sense, he is both the avenger and the deliverer. He upholds the justice of God by taking the punishment on himself, and then he dies to set the guilty free. Jesus is also the kinsman redeemer who sets his indebted brethren free. He is the year of jubilee—debts cancelled and bonds loosed!

Finally, Jesus is the kinsman redeemer who restores what man lost by the fall and by his sin. He gives his people an everlasting inheritance freely by his grace. He is the greater Boaz who, by his law-keeping and sacrificial love, secures redemption for Jew (Naomi) and Gentile (Ruth) who come to him for redemption.

Rev. Nick Batzig is the pastor of Church Creek Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Charleston, South Carolina, and an associate editor for Ligonier Ministries.

This article is adapted from “The Kinsman Redeemer” from feedingonchrist.com.

[1] Iain D. Campbell, Ruth: A Devotional Commentary (Exploring the Bible) (Leominster: Day One Publications, 2010), 117.

Monday, May 29, 2023

What Is the Difference Between the Law and the Gospel?

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In order to better understand their faith—and share the hope they have with others—Christians should have a clear understanding regarding the difference between the law and the gospel. Here is a brief explanation:

The Law

According to theologian R. C. Sproul, the law is like a mirror: it shows us our sin, but it can do nothing to save us. In fact, the law condemns everyone who is not in Christ. Jesus was born in the flesh in order to be the perfect Son whom God had promised since the fall of Adam in the garden (Gen. 3:15).

For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Rom. 8:3-4)

Jesus kept the law perfectly on behalf of all who trust in him for salvation, and they are counted righteous in God’s sight through faith alone by God’s grace alone.

The law also serves the purposes of restraining evil and showing us what is pleasing to God. Christians should also strive to keep God's law joyfully in thanksgiving for all God has done for them in Christ, although they will do so imperfectly in this life. For more on the "three-fold use" of the law, click here.

The Gospel

The Gospel is the good news of what Jesus did to redeem his people (his birth, life, death, and resurrection) and inaugurate the kingdom of God and the new creation (1 Cor. 15). It is good news because we are unable to save ourselves, as all our works are tainted by sin and we are all guilty in Adam (Rom. 5:12-21).

Without Christ being born in the flesh, keeping the law perfectly, and being the perfect once-for-all sacrifice for sin, we would be without hope:

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. (Rom. 5:6-9)

And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. (Heb. 10:11-12)

Because of God’s love for the world in sending his Son, there is a way to peace with God: it is the narrow gate that is through faith in Christ alone:

Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. (Matt. 7:13-14)

There is salvation in no other name, because only the God-man could save us from ourselves (Acts 4:12).

God’s moral law is a guide for Christians in living to the glory of God in this world, but it can never save us. The gospel is the good news that salvation is found by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

For more words every Christian should know, check out: 10 Words Every Christian Should Know (and Be Able to Explain)

Sunday, May 28, 2023

16 Bible Passages about Sacrificial Love

Normandy American Cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach; image from Shutterstock.com

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Christians aren’t promised prosperity in this life. Instead, they are called to take up their cross daily, deny themselves, and follow Christ (Luke 9:23). Here are sixteen Bible passages about sacrificial love:

1. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 10:29)

2. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. (Matthew 10:38)

3. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)

4. And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. (Luke 9:23-24)

5. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:33)

6. And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” (Luke 22:41-42)

7. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

8. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. (John 12:25)

9. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13)

10. But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

11. I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. (Romans 12:1)

12. Who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:6-8)

13. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ. (Philippians 3:8)

14. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:1-2)

15. He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. (Hebrews 9:12)

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. (1 John 3:16)

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Saturday, May 27, 2023

Beloved: Processing Our Insecurities in Light of the Gospel

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I have hated my body for as long as I can remember. As soon as I was old enough to be aware of my figure, and how it compared with the figures of my peers, I was unhappy. Being a five-foot-tall, muscularly-built Asian girl in Southern California made me feel like I was drowning in a sea of tall, thin blonde beach babes. And so began that dull ache from deep within. That feeling of inadequacy that we are all familiar with to some degree or another. That yearning to be beloved and accepted. If I wasn’t going to be the pretty one, how would I get by?

Some days I feel like I haven’t grown at all.

We humans are very resourceful. I grew thick skin. I hid behind humor and quick wit. I looked for validation through achievement. I was the straight-A student and the good girl. I was the first to graduate college in my family. I sought a career in sales so that my success could be very tangible in a glowing sales report or a fat commission check. But still, the dull ache continued, as well as the striving to run from it.

I am now approaching 40, a wife and a mother of three precious girls. On some days, it seems I have matured much from that insecure, striving young girl. And on other days, I feel like I haven’t grown a bit, still looking for validation and trying to prove my worth. By God’s grace I have learned that the only way to change the horrible talk-track in my head that says “I am not enough” is to have the true narrative about who I am spoken to me to crush the lie for what it is.

Our happy faces and smiles for the camera may be hiding the burdens we silently carry.

So maybe your issue isn’t body image. This is a game of “fill in the blank” of which I have heard far too many versions. Maybe you feel invisible as a stay-at-home mom and are constantly looking for ways to validate yourself. Maybe you aren’t the Pinterest mom who posts picture-perfect photos of memories you are making with your kids. Maybe you hate cooking and feel guilt when you are served gourmet meals at your friends’ homes.

Maybe you see your flaws in your children and feel hopeless because you are a failure of a parent. Maybe you feel like you are a different person than your husband married. You look at yourself in the mirror and see a distant memory of the woman you once were, and you feel shame. These are just a handful of whispers that have come to my own mind over the years or from confessions by dear friends I admire who have confided in me. These are the burdens we silently carry with us while we put on a happy face and smile for the camera.

We need to remember that God loves us just as we are now.

If we have embraced the gospel for the promise that it is, that we are truly forgiven, redeemed, righteous, and bought at a price, then why doesn’t it feel like it? If every sin I have ever committed—or will commit today—has been paid for, why do I carry this shame and feeling of inadequacy?

Imagine how different our experience would be if we could really believe God loves us just as we are now—not the version we strive for in our minds. Not the person we will be once we get our act together. Me, today. Then we would stop asking ourselves, Why don’t I feel like I belong? Why do I feel like an outsider, always coming up a bit short?

“Imagine how different our experience would be if we could really believe God loves us just as we are now—not the version we strive for in our minds.”

We live in the “already-but-not-yet” season of our journey. Yes, Christ has already died and paid for our sins. We are already redeemed and considered righteous by our heavenly Father. But we are not yet perfect. We still have a sinful nature and live in a world ravaged by sin and broken in so many ways. Although we know the glorious ending to our story, it is not yet complete. Until we reach our final home, we will not know true wholeness. But there is hope for us in our current state as well—he isn’t finished with you!

Even though we know the glorious ending to our story, it is not yet complete.

Although we are already justified through faith in the work Jesus did in his life and on the cross, God’s work of sanctification is ongoing. As we grow in the love and knowledge of God through study, experience, and suffering, our Father is molding us into the likeness of his Son. Although the change might seem indiscernible at times, he never sleeps and he is always at work:

Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 1:6)

We continue on through this pilgrimage of faith, holding on to these truths that will come into fruition in God’s perfect timing. But what can be done in the meantime? Here are two things to keep in mind that can help us along our way.

1. Attend a Bible-believing church every week to hear the gospel preached.

It seems like such an obvious and simple task, but it is one that is often overlooked. The busyness of life can easily get in the way of church attendance. Schedules get hectic, we want to “relax” over the weekend, and it takes effort to bring small children to church. But there is a reason God requires it of us—it is of life and death importance.

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (Eph. 4:11-16)

How can we possibly hope to cling to the truth if we are not hearing it regularly? The devil is a cunning and deceitful enemy, and he whispers lies to us constantly. We are bombarded every day with messages coming from within and without telling us who we are and what we need. The truth we hear on Sundays is our compass and reorients our direction upward. It reminds us that we are not ultimately of this world, that we are travelers passing through.

“The truth we hear on Sundays is our compass and reorients our direction upward. ”

We need to hear the Word preached to us to help us grow in the grace and knowledge of our Savior. If we really believe that the Bible is God’s word and the method in which he speaks to us today, what better way is there to spend our time than hearing it preached? One of my favorite verses reminds us of just how powerful God’s word is:

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Heb. 4:12)

2. Cultivate the skill of preaching the gospel to yourself.

You are at church on a Sunday morning. You hear a wonderful sermon and are reminded of who you are in Christ. You are moved by his love for you and assured that the work has been done for your salvation. Your sins have been put to death on that cross. “It is finished.” You have a glorious day of rest with your family. And then Monday hits.

There is a to-do list a mile long, and you feel like you are drowning. You argue with your husband and snap at your children. The relentless pressures of life are weighing you down. That night you collapse into bed, playing the movie reel of the day in your mind. You start to tally up your performance as a wife, mother, and follower of Christ. And you come up very, very short. The feelings of inadequacy and failure come crashing down. And the truth of Sunday morning is but a distant memory.

This common, everyday scenario is where the importance of preaching the gospel to yourself is critical. You take the solid teaching you hear on a Sunday morning, tuck it into your heart, and tap into it all throughout the week. You remind yourself that your forgiveness and redemption is not subjective—it is not based upon how you feel about yourself or how you are performing.

Beloved child of the King, remember your worth and continue to seek out the truth. Run from the enemy and his lies. You are precious, irreplaceable, and bought with the precious blood of Jesus.

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 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. (Rom. 8:38-39)

Erica Chase is a wife, mother, entrepreneur, and SoCal native. She loves cooking, baking, event planning, and finding pretty much any reason to gather with friends and family over a delicious meal.

This article was originally published on October 24, 2019.

Recommended Books:

Refresh: Embracing a Grace-Paced Life in a World of Endless Demands by Shona and David Murray

Reset: Living a Grace-Paced Life in a Burnout Culture by David Murray

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Thursday, May 25, 2023

3 Things a Christian Should Consider Before Serving in the Military

PHAN SHANNON GARCIA, USN [Public domain]; Image from Wikimedia Commons

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Among the many legitimate vocations that Christians can pursue, military service is certainly an acceptable choice. Serving in the military can be very beneficial. Many young people have testified to the fact that military service helped them grow up to be responsible adults. Many have taken advantage of financial assistance programs that help pay for college. Others have learned much about leadership, service, and honor by serving in the military. There are also many benefits—learning technical trades or even learning a unique skill, such as how to fly aircraft—that lead to long and profitable careers later in civilian life.

Even with all these advantages, as a pastor there are several areas in which I would want to provide counsel to a young person if he or she was considering military service as a vocation.

First, I would want to ensure that the person was very spiritually mature.

A regular part of military service is constant relocation and even deployment to foreign countries or war zones. With such an ambulatory life, being a member of a church and having regular access to the means of grace can be a great challenge.

If you’re on a year-long combat deployment to a war zone, you might not be able to hear the preaching of the word or take the sacrament consistently. And when you do, it might have to be a chaplain from another denomination or even religion who would perform a “religious service.” This means that a person has to be spiritually mature enough continually to seek through every means and avenue consistent spiritual nourishment.

Second, the Christian has to have a strong will—a dogged commitment to serve Christ and continually strive for greater sanctification.

The military is no different than the rest of the world, but it can have a strong group mentality, which is quite different from civilian organizations. When companies like Google or Apple encourage individuality, creativity, and spontaneity, the military is the exact opposite—it fosters uniformity, obedience, and group unity. The military uniform is a manifestation of this mindset—everyone has the same basic uniform. In such a context it’s quite easy to get swept up in group immorality.

Stories of group misconduct occurring in top-tier military units have appeared in the press in recent months. There have been reports of war crimes (mutilating enemy combatant bodies, which is in violation of the Geneva Convention), sexual immorality (distribution of explicit sexual images on social media sites), and serious drug abuse, even during combat operations. In this setting the group mentality of military training undoubtedly plays a significant role—if you don’t participate, you stand out because you don’t conform with the group.

I would want to tell a young person, yes, you can pursue a career in the military, but you need to be prepared to say no when everyone else is telling you to say yes. Would you cease to participate in war crimes at the risk of alienating your comrades, at the risk of your life, at the risk of your reputation? Would you be willing to stand for the truth and report the crimes, even if it meant the end of friendships and your career?

Third, the Christian has to have a strong commitment to the Bible’s teaching on the image of God.

War might not be hell, but it’s close to it. War can wreak havoc on a person’s state of mind. All it takes is weeks and months of exposure to brutality and death before a person can become numb to the value of life. A soldier can cease to look at the enemy as a human being created in the image of God and instead see him as subhuman. Once this mindset sets in, the Christian soldier is no longer the sharp point of the magistrate’s sword ordained to punish evil doers (e.g., Rom. 13), but the soldier becomes a killer—someone who takes pleasure in taking life.

Taking another person’s life under legitimate circumstances still leaves scars on the soul, and it doesn’t take much for these scars to harden the heart if too many accumulate. Therefore, the Christian who serves as a soldier needs to beware of such dangers and pray diligently that Christ would protect his soul.

These three things are not the only considerations, but they are some of the most pressing for any Christian considering military service. Give careful thought, prayer, and preparation if you decide to serve in the military. Pray in the end that no matter your vocation, you would glorify God in all that you do, including through your military service.

This article by J. V. Fesko is adapted from “A Pastor’s Reflections: Military Service.” For more helpful content by Dr. Fesko, please visit jvfesko.com.

J. V. Fesko is Professor of Systematic Theology and Historical Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson, Mississippi. He has written numerous books on the Christian faith, including Word, Water, and Spirit: A Reformed Perspective on Baptism, Justification: Understanding the Classic Reformed Doctrine, The Theology of the Westminster Standards: Historical Context and Theological Insights and the newly released commentary, Romans (Lectio Continua).

Wednesday, May 24, 2023

The Trinity Matters for Every Christian

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Have you ever found yourself trying to explain the Trinity to a child? Or perhaps even a teen or adult who has never heard of the concept? I have three little ones, one of whom is a four-year-old bubbling with questions. Here is an example of a recent bedtime conversation we had:

“Mommy, what is the Trinity?”

“The Trinity is God. Three Persons, one God.”

His face scrunched up. “How can God be three Persons but one God?”

This is where I should be able to tell you I gave the most perfect, theologically sound answer to my child and tell you how you can do the same.

I did no such thing.

“Um… well… he just is.”

“But how did Jesus come to earth and the Father remain in heaven?”

“Well, I… um…”

“How is God a Father and a Son?”

Many Christians struggle with how to give a sound explanation of the Trinity.

As I grappled and hummed, my four-year-old kept listing off question after question—none for which I had an answer. I was tempted to use one of those explanations I had heard in church growing up: God is like an egg, God is like the three forms of water, God is like a flower… but I knew that all those fell flat because, in one way or another, they all promoted a trinitarian heresy.

For years, I’ve prided myself on my passion for theology and biblical literacy, and my shelves sagged with heavy academic books. But as I tucked my child in that night, I was humbled by my lack of a basic understanding of the Trinity.

I have a feeling I’m not alone. You don’t have to be a mother to be faced with the dilemma of explaining the Trinity. You could be a Sunday school teacher (for any age) being asked to further explain, or reclining at a family meal where the conversation of religion comes up. Or maybe you’ve stood in your doorway with someone evangelizing to you about their religion that seems to mirror Christianity but smells of tritheism. Or perhaps you’re alone studying your Bible and wondering how God can possibly be three Persons and one God. Let’s open our Bibles and get to know the Trinity together. But first, in case you’re still not fully convinced you need to know this, let’s dive into why the Trinity matters.

Our theology of the Trinity affects our fundamental understanding of what Christianity means.

Because of how convoluted and confusing this doctrine can appear, we may be tempted to push it to the side. We loop it in with doctrines such as the end times and say, “It’s something we just won’t be able to grasp this side of heaven.” But the doctrine of the Trinity is essential to Christian theology. When we get the Trinity wrong, we get all of Christianity wrong. That’s what makes first-order Christian doctrines so vital to our faith: Everything that we believe is rooted in them, and once you alter those ground-level doctrines it changes how the entire tree grows. The Trinity is no different.

If we don’t emphasize the oneness of the Trinity correctly, we move towards tritheism—the worship of three gods rather than one. This breaks the first commandment (Exod. 20:2–3) and goes against God’s clear revelation of him: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one,” (Deut. 6:4; cf. Mark 12:29; John 17:3; Rom. 3:30). But if we blend them too much together, we get another heresy that goes against the clear revelation of the three distinct Persons (Gen. 1:1–27; Matt. 3:13–17; John 1:1–5).

Getting the Trinity wrong likewise skews the gospel message by which we are saved. Did one of our gods die for our sins after the greater god told him to? Or did the Second Person of the Trinity, the Son of God, die in our place because of a covenant made in eternity past between the three perfect, eternal Persons of the Godhead? Does a lower, lesser god indwell us, or does God himself indwell us through the Third Person of the Trinity? These questions matter, and they change the whole of our salvation when answered wrongly.

Even if we aren’t the ones falling for these false doctrines, we need to be prepared to give the right answer to those who ask (1 Pet. 3:15). These people might come into your classroom, bump into you at church, sit in your small group, or knock on your front door. Will you give them biblical truth? Will you be able to defend what you believe?

Inconspicuous Trinity “drifts” can still be found around us.

The examples I gave above are a bit on the further end of the spectrum, and likely you won’t encounter them to that extreme in your church, books, podcasts, blogs, or social media feed. But that doesn’t mean the Trinity isn’t still skewed in evangelical theology. Heresy, or the off-drips of it, can still be found around us, even among esteemed theologians. Matthew Barrett writes,

With the arrival of the twenty-first century, it’s now conspicuous that there are as many Trinities as modern theologians. With each new Trinity arrives a new social program … Trinity drift is real. We have not only drifted away from the biblical, orthodox Trinity, but we have manipulated the Trinity to meet our social agendas.[1]

These more “inconspicuous” Trinity drifts happen in two main ways:

1. When we try to manipulate the Trinity to prove a point we’re passionate about. The unbiblical teaching of “social trinitarianism” is one example of how some have used the Trinity to advance their ideas on how government should work, how relationships in the church should function, and the like (for more on this topic, please see footnote at the end of article).[2] In doing so, they have manipulated the Trinity to suit their needs, completely bypassing what the Bible really teaches. Some have even gone as far as to say that the historic understanding of the Trinity must be discarded because it doesn’t fit their beliefs around a particular social order.

2. When we try to understand the Trinity from creaturely terms. Remember the analogies I alluded to at the beginning of this article? The water analogy (which states the Trinity is like water, having three different forms while still being water) promotes the heresy of modalism—the false teaching that we worship one God who merely appears at different times in different modes, like an actor putting on masks. According to modalism, when God needs to be the Father, he takes the form of the Father; when he needs to be the Son, he morphs into the Son; and when he needs to be the Spirit, he changes into the Spirit. Scripture, however, teaches that God doesn’t have three modes but is three distinct Persons, as we see in Jesus’ baptism or the creation accounts.

Heresy can abound no matter where you go to church or where you consume Christian content. No theological camp is exempt. We must test our theology (and the content we consume) against Scripture to make sure it aligns with what the Bible teaches.

How can we guard against Trinitarian heresy?

Perhaps you’re a bit overwhelmed now and concerned that you won’t be able to fully guard yourself against Trinitarian heresies. You’re ready to pull the covers over your head and never read or listen to another bit of Christian material again because you might be deceived. I’ve been there too. While this topic may be heavy, it doesn’t need to be complicated.

Hundreds of years ago in early church history, fathers of the faith came up against the same flavors of heresy that we do today, and to battle against these false doctrines they opened Scripture and wrote creeds to help ordinary believers understand. Thanks be to God, he has preserved these creeds, and confessions in more recent history, for us today. While the creeds don’t carry the authority of Scripture, they communicate and summarize the essential truths of Scripture. I recommend getting to know the Nicene Creed and the Athanasian Creed, which were specifically created to summarize the teaching of Scripture and condemn trinitarian heresies.

We have sound definitions of the Trinity in vetted historical creeds and confessions of the Christian faith.

Instead of trying to explain the Trinity in your own words, you can look to helpful explanations of the Trinity written by faithful Christians over the centuries and upheld by the historic church. Here are some below:

From the Nicene Creed (381 A.D.): I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made…. And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets… (Nicene Creed)

From the Athanasian Creed (circa 500 A.D.): Now the catholic faith is that we worship One God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity, neither confounding the Persons nor dividing the substance. For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, another of the Holy Spirit. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, is One, the Glory equal, the Majesty coeternal… (Athanasian Creed)

From the Belgic Confession (circa 1561 A.D.): According to this truth and this Word of God, we believe in one only God, who is the one single essence, in which are three persons, really, truly, and eternally distinct according to their incommunicable properties; namely, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit… (The Belgic Confession, Article VIII)

From the Heidelberg Catechism (1563 A.D.):
Q. Since there is only one God, why do you speak of three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?
A. Because God has so revealed himself in his Word that these three distinct persons are the one, true, eternal God. (Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 25)

From the Westminster Confession of Faith (1647 A.D.): In the unity of the Godhead there be three persons, of one substance, power, and eternity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost: (1 John 5:7. Matt 3:16–17, Matt. 28:19, 2 Cor. 13:14) the Father is of none, neither begotten, not proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; (John 1:14, 18) the Holy Ghost eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son. (John 15:26, Gal. 4:6). (Westminster Confession of Faith, II.3)

From the Westminster Larger Catechism (1647):
Q. How many persons are there in the Godhead?
A. There be three persons in the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one true, eternal God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory; although distinguished by their personal properties. (1 John 5:7, Matt. 3:16–17, Matt. 28:19, 2 Cor. 13:14, John 10:30) (Westminster Larger Catechism, Q&A 9)

As you study these creeds and confessions, you can pick up sound books on the topic too. That night after putting my son to bed, I took Simply Trinity by Matthew Barrett off my bookshelf and dove in. While Simply Trinity is a thick and heavy book, Barrett tackles the topic of the Trinity in a popular-level way. Along with his book, I recommend Michael Horton’s Core Christianity (particularly chapter 2). Both of these books lay out the doctrine of the Trinity in a clear, comprehensive way.

We also need to seek to understand God through all of Scripture, not just through isolated texts.

As with any doctrine, immerse yourself in the whole of Scripture. Don’t just study the “Trinity passages” but seek to understand how God reveals himself through the entire redemptive narrative and the laws he gives. Seek to understand God through all of Scripture, interpreting Scripture against Scripture, not just through isolated texts.

As we better understand the Trinity, our faith will only be enriched—because we are getting to know the true and only God, our perfect and beautiful Father, Savior, and Counselor. In doing so, we will safeguard ourselves against heresy and be ready with an answer to the questions that the world or our loved ones may bring us.

[2] For more on why social trinitarianism is a departure from biblical trinitarianism, please see Craig A. Carter, “Why We Must Reject Social Trinitarianism: It is neither Nicene nor Biblical” (https://credomag.com/2021/07/why-we-must-reject-social-trinitarianism-it-is-neither-nicene-nor-biblical/); Gene Edward Veith, “The ‘Social Trinity’ vs. Nicene Christianity” (https://www.patheos.com/blogs/geneveith/2022/01/the-social-trinity-vs-nicene-christianity/); and Matt Slick, “What Is Social Trinitarianism?” (https://ift.tt/7WDRXdT).

Lara d’Entremont is a wife, mother, biblical counselor-in-training, and Editor at Large for Beautiful Christian Life. You can find more of her writing at laradentremont.com.

Notes:

[1] Matthew Barrett, Simply Trinity: The Unmanipulated Father, Son, and Spirit (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2021), 92–93.

[2] For more on why social trinitarianism is a departure from biblical trinitarianism, please see Craig A. Carter, “Why We Must Reject Social Trinitarianism: It Is Neither Nicene Nor Biblical” (https://ift.tt/B3kmxvf); Gene Edward Veith, “The ‘Social Trinity’ vs. Nicene Christianity” (https://ift.tt/onpNYvH); and Matt Slick, “What Is Social Trinitarianism?” (https://ift.tt/7WDRXdT).

Today on the broadcast I will be talking aboutKeep in Step with the SpiritGalatians 5:16-26Gal 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.Gal 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.Gal 5:18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.Gal 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,Gal 5:20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,Gal 5:21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.Gal 5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.Gal 5:26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

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Keep in Step with the Spirit

Impossibilities

“Jesus looked at them and said,

“With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” Mark 10:27

This statement from Jesus follows a question asked by his disciples, “Who then can be saved?”

Jesus had challenged a rich man to sell all of his worldly possessions and become a disciple, but the young man went away, sorry that he could not do as Jesus asked.

In our rich culture, there are a lot of young (and old!) men and women who do not want to give up everything to follow Jesus. Persuading them to be Christians often seems impossible. Jesus acknowledged that it is hard for those who are rich to enter the Kingdom of God; in fact he said that it was easier for a camel to go through the “eye of a needle” than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.

When in Israel, our tour group was able to see what the “eye of the needle” is (a small opening in the city gate where camels can be tied up) and to think about how difficult it would be for a camel to squeeze through one! With human eyes, it does look impossible!

Perhaps you are struggling with your own “impossibility” today. There is a chorus that comes to mind (perhaps like me you learned it as a child):

Got any rivers you think are uncrossable? Got any mountains, you can’t tunnel through? God specialises in things thought impossible And he can do what no other power can do! — Oscar C. Eliason

Father God, help me to see what seems impossible to my human eyes in a new light today. I give you my mountain, my uncrossable river, my loved one who turns away from Jesus again and again, knowing that you do the impossible every day because that is who you are!

Allow God to carry you. Rest in him, trusting him to work in ways that surprise you!

By Karen Woodard
Used by Permission

Everything is Possible

“Jesus looked at them intently, then said, ‘Without God, it is utterly impossible. But with God everything is possible’” Mark 10:27

“An hour in prayer can give the believer enough power to overcome the second most powerful force in the universe,” sagely declared an anonymous observer.

God’s Word gives us many “exceeding great and precious promises” that confirm the truth of this wise observation – and the truth of the scriptural promise that with God everything is possible. One of these precious promises declares, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:31,KJV).

Sometimes renewed strength – spiritual strength, God’s strength – is all we need to face the problem or difficulty or testing or trial that confronts us.

In the gigantic tasks God has given us to do in the work of Campus Crusade for Christ often it is the confirmed realization that with God everything is possible that keeps us going on, trusting God to do that which no man could possibly do.

“Dear Lord, give me a heart like Yours – one that reaches out to the ends of the earth, and the end of the block, with the good news of the gospel, always believing that nothing is impossible with Your help.”

Questions: What has God been calling you to do that you have been ignoring? Can you trust Him to do what He has been nudging you to do?

Dr. Bill Bright
Used by Permission

Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Sanctification in Christ — The Rest of Your Story

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"The good seed cannot flourish when it is repeatedly dug up for the purpose of examining its growth." — J. C. Kromsigt

One of my favorite things about trees, especially mature ones, is the way they provide shade and shelter from the natural elements. Yet, everyone knows a seedling doesn’t give much of either. Trees need a consistent supply of sun, water, and nutrients over a long period of time to survive and thrive.

Christians often wonder whether they are growing in holiness.

Sanctification is a slow process of dying to the flesh (mortification) and living unto God (vivification). Just as it is impossible to know exactly what a tree seedling is going to look like in ten years, it can be frustrating to attempt to evaluate a person’s growth in Christ over the short term.

In his parables Jesus uses the image of plants to describe spiritual growth in the gospels of Matthew and John (see Matt. 13:1–32 and John 15:1–7):

"Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.” (Matt. 13:8-9, the Parable of the Sower)

Jesus uses the metaphor of a vine and its branches to describe the organic union believers have with him.

Throughout the New Testament, believers are encouraged to grow in long-term community with each other in the local church (Acts 2:42; Eph. 4:11–13; Col. 3:16). In his letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul writes about this dynamic of growth within the body of Christ:

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (Eph. 4:15–16)

Jesus describes this organic union with his people by using the metaphor of a vine and its branches:

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. (John 15:4)

The Bible instructs all believers to gather regularly to hear the preaching of God’s Word, receive baptism and the Lord’s Supper (these are also known as Sacraments), and pray together (Heb. 10:25; 1 Cor. 10:16). Christ is present in these means of God’s grace through the power of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 18:20; John 14:16–17, 26).

Christians don’t have to worry about whether they are being sanctified.

While the Holy Spirit is not limited to using Word, Sacrament, and prayer in his work of sanctification, these are God’s ordinary means of grace. Christians should be diligent to attend a church where they are properly bathed and regularly nourished with sound biblical preaching and teaching. Supplemental Christian resources (like this website) can be helpful aids, but they are not meant to be substitutes for regular participation in the local church community.

God has promised to conform all his children to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29), for “he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6). Christians do need to obey God’s command to gather regularly with their fellow saints under the oversight of a faithful minister (1 Pet. 5:2–3). This is the way God has ordered his church on earth so that his sheep are properly cared for and guarded from the snares of the evil one (Heb. 13:17). You can be confident about your spiritual growth in Christ, because God is in control (Eph. 1:11–12).

Le Ann Trees is managing editor of Beautiful Christian Life. This article has been adapted since its original publishing date.

Today on the broadcast I will be talking aboutChrist Has Set Us FreeGalatians 5:1-15Gal 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.Gal 5:2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.Gal 5:3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.Gal 5:4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.Gal 5:5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.Gal 5:6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.Gal 5:7 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?Gal 5:8 This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.Gal 5:9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.Gal 5:10 I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.Gal 5:11 And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased.Gal 5:12 I would they were even cut off which trouble you.Gal 5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.Gal 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.Gal 5:15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.

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Wednesday, May 31, 2023

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Tuesday, May 30, 2023

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1. Blood—the kinsman had the duty to respect the blood of his relative.

2. Liberty—the kinsman had the duty to respect the liberty of his relative.

3. Property—the kinsman had the duty to respect the property of his relative.

Jesus is our redeeming elder brother.

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Monday, May 29, 2023

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The Law

The Gospel

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Sunday, May 28, 2023

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Saturday, May 27, 2023

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Some days I feel like I haven’t grown at all.

Our happy faces and smiles for the camera may be hiding the burdens we silently carry.

We need to remember that God loves us just as we are now.

Even though we know the glorious ending to our story, it is not yet complete.

1. Attend a Bible-believing church every week to hear the gospel preached.

2. Cultivate the skill of preaching the gospel to yourself.

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Thursday, May 25, 2023

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First, I would want to ensure that the person was very spiritually mature.

Second, the Christian has to have a strong will—a dogged commitment to serve Christ and continually strive for greater sanctification.

Third, the Christian has to have a strong commitment to the Bible’s teaching on the image of God.

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Wednesday, May 24, 2023

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Many Christians struggle with how to give a sound explanation of the Trinity.

Our theology of the Trinity affects our fundamental understanding of what Christianity means.

Inconspicuous Trinity “drifts” can still be found around us.

How can we guard against Trinitarian heresy?

We have sound definitions of the Trinity in vetted historical creeds and confessions of the Christian faith.

We also need to seek to understand God through all of Scripture, not just through isolated texts.

Related Articles:

Notes:

Recommended:

“With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” Mark 10:27

Allow God to carry you. Rest in him, trusting him to work in ways that surprise you!

FURTHER READING

“Jesus looked at them intently, then said, ‘Without God, it is utterly impossible. But with God everything is possible’” Mark 10:27

FURTHER READING

Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Christians often wonder whether they are growing in holiness.

Jesus uses the metaphor of a vine and its branches to describe the organic union believers have with him.

Christians don’t have to worry about whether they are being sanctified.

Related Articles:

Recommended: