Tag: Gospel

Quotes to Note 15a: Why “Good Friday”?

~ Bob Hayton ~ 3 Comments

This week I’ve been reading through Adrian Warnock’s new book Raised with Christ: How the Resurrection Changes Everything (Crossway). The following selection is both amusing and instructive. It may serve to help us turn our minds toward the events this day commemorates.

As a young child I asked my father a series of questions one evening as he put me to bed. This is the conversation as I remember it:

“Why is Good Friday called ‘good’?”
“Because Jesus died for us.”
“But why was it called good when someone died?”
“Because he came back to life.”
“But why is it not Bad Friday and Good Sunday then?”

I somehow instinctively knew that the cross could not be good news without the resurrection….

Many times when I heard the gospel explained in later years, the resurrection was either omitted altogether or briefly discussed in passing. When I began to share the Christian message with others individually and while preaching, to my shame I often did so without mentioning that Jesus is alive. The resurrection had become an afterthought to the message that Jesus died for our sins.

I think Adrian Warnock is on to something here. I posted an excerpt from a recent interview he did earlier. You may also want to check out another interview he did with my good blogging friend Jason Skipper.

You can preview or purchase his book from Westminster Bookstore at this link. Stay tuned to RaisedwithChrist.net for more info on the book. I’ll be posting my review in the next week or two.

A Resurrection-less Gospel?

~ Bob Hayton ~ 3 Comments

Adrian Warnock (an influential blogger whom I’ve had in my blogroll for quite some time here at Fundamentally Reformed) has a new book out this year (from Crossway) on the Resurrection. I plan on jumping into this book between now and Easter. It is entitled Raised with Christ: How the Resurrection Changes Everything.

In an online interview at ChristianityToday.com, Adrian had this to say about the resurrection.

It is interesting that most Christians talk about the Cross often, and yet we seem to only speak about the Resurrection at Easter. I have also noticed that there is a big contrast between our preaching today, which tends to assume the Resurrection while emphasizing the Cross, and the preaching of the book of Acts, which does the exact opposite, speaking far more about the Resurrection and how it has saved us. Charles Spurgeon noticed this neglect in his day as well, and argued that if our preaching better matched the book of Acts, we would see more people become Christians.

But it is not just preaching. When speaking about the gospel to unbelievers, before I got into studying the Resurrection, often I would bring them to the Cross and leave them there without even mentioning that Jesus had risen again. I am now convinced that if we do that we have only done half of the job. Without explicitly proclaiming the Resurrection, we have not declared the biblical gospel at all. We must also explain the implications of this event. If our understanding of how Jesus saved us makes the Resurrection almost an optional extra, it is clearly deficient.

I found that quite insightful and correct. His words here make me more eager to jump into the book. In my years in extreme fundamentalism, I heard quite a few truncated gospel presentations. I fear this tendency to make the Resurrection a footnote to the gospel is shared by many other segments of evangelicalism today, as well.

Check out sample pages at this link, or go ahead and get the book. I gave a fuller excerpt of the interview over at CrossFocusedReviews.com. Read the whole interview at ChristianityToday.com.

Confusion Over Fighting Sin

~ Bob Hayton ~ 6 Comments

how high is your fence?Within fundamentalism, as in other areas of Christianity no doubt, there is quite a bit of confusion over fighting sin. The thinking goes like this: if we erect a big enough fence, or hedge people in with enough rules, we will prevent them from falling into sin. Sadly, this tactic most often fails, to one degree or another.

The Former Fundys Blog recently posted some thoughts in this regard. In a post entitled What’s Wrong with Fundamentalist Pastors?, the problem of pastors running headlong into adultery is brought up. I thought the main point of the post, however, applied to more than just the fall of big name pastors. Here is an excerpt from that post that may be a help to some of my readers.

Fundamentalism has claimed to have the answers to stopping sin, by their superior standards that will keep one from sinning. Don’t go to the theater, and you won’t struggle with impure thoughts or with using foul language. Women have to dress a certain way, in order to protect men from lusting after them. Men and women can’t touch unless they are married(to one another), so they won’t fall into sexual sin. If one is a faithful soulwinner who reads/studies the Bible on a regular basis, they won’t fall into sin. I have heard “remedy” after “remedy” for stopping the presence of sin in one’s life, for keeping one away from sin by placing barriers in place to protect one from sin.

But these remedies do little to protect the very pastors who put these rules in place from sinning….

Fundamentalism misses the essence of what the Christian life is about. One is not moral because they follow rules. One is not moral because they go to church every Sunday. One is not a good Christian because they follow those rules. One is not a Christian because they follow those rules. Rule-keeping does not make a good Christian. And it does not make a good person. It is pure moralism, instead of Gospel.

The answer is in teaching the Gospel, instead of rule-keeping. Too many Fundamentalists fail to teach repentance from sins as part of the salvation process, thus watering down the Gospel to something that is more palatable to sinners. They make their Christianity easy for those who love their sin, but want fire insurance. The answer is also in desiring Christ, and desiring to live for the glory of God. So much of Fundamentalism is about keeping rules, and following a list of do’s and don’ts. But that’s not what the Christian life is about. Sure there are things that a Christian can’t do, like have sex outside the confines of marriage, or get drunk or high, or lie to others. And sure there are things that Christians need to do, like read the Bible, pray, go to church. But that is not the essence of the Christian life. Following Christ is more than not doing or doing those things. I would strongly recommend that Fundamentalists look to books written by non-Fundy authors that deal with things like sin, or living for God, because Fundamentalists don’t have the answer. Books like “Overcoming Sin and Temptation” by John Owen(the Puritan), or “Desiring God” by John Piper.

In short, such men are able to sin so gravely because they don’t understand the nature of sin, the Gospel, or the essence of the Christian life…

My response to all of this is first to point out that the post is primarily addressing the IFBx wing of fundamentalism. Not all fundamentalists that I’ve known are this bad. However, in seed form, this idea concerning sanctification is prevalent throughout fundamentalism.

The problem, as I see it, amounts to a widespread confusion over the nature of sin. It doesn’t attract us externally, the desire for sin comes from within us. We need the internal change of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Too often, Christians fail to remember that the Gospel is for them — for believers. And sadly, preaching is too often about moralism rather than the gospel.

A few of my previous posts may be of interest to those looking to dig more deeply into this topic:

“Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts” by Jerry Bridges

~ Bob Hayton ~ 6 Comments

Author: Jerry Bridges
Publisher: NavPress
Format: softcover
Publication Date: revised edition, 2008
Pages: 240
ISBN: 9781600063053
Stars: 4 of 5

In Trusting God, Jerry Bridges tackles some big and important questions. How are we to approach the hurdles life throws our way? How can we trust God in spite of difficult circumstances? How are we to trust him even when life hurts?

These questions all give us pause to think at some point in our Christian life. And there are many books which aim to help us deal with these issues. This book stands apart. Bridges points in an uncommon direction for finding help: the sovereignty of God. Most don’t like to think of God’s being behind the very difficulties that make life so painful.

Bridges is under no illusions as to his ability to provide all possible answers to this age old dilemma. He offers hope but the answers aren’t easy or glib. He doesn’t reveal how he has personally conquered all such doubts and how his life story provides the answers to ours. Instead I picture him sitting down, opening his big black Bible and applying Scripture with care. This book is a Bible study, that will pay great dividends to those who dig in and hear what the Bible has to say about trusting God.

Three themes are explored in depth, in Trusting God. The author explains:

In the arena of adversity, the Scriptures teach us three essential truths about God — truths we must believe if we are to trust Him in adversity. They are: God is completely sovereign. God is infinite in wisdom. God is perfect in love. (pg. 16-17)

Most of the book explores God’s sovereignty since so many Christians today are unfamiliar with the term and the concept. Bridges carefully shows the extent of God’s control over this planet and each of our lives. If you are unfamiliar with the Bible’s witness to God’s sovereignty you will be amazed at the number of Bible verses and passages that are examined.

God’s rule over all things gives His children hope. God knows what He is doing, and this circumstance is not out of His control. Jerry Bridges explains, “There is no agonizing by God, no hoping He has made the right decision, no wondering what is really best for us. God makes no mistakes.” (pg. 126)

After exploring the three themes of God’s sovereignty, wisdom and love, Bridges deals with how we can apply these Bible truths to our lives. The author’s great confidence in God, by the end of the book, becomes infectious. I particularly appreciated his insight into Christian’s common obsessing over knowing God’s will for us when it comes to a decision. I think his advice on this point is worth repeating at some length:

Consider the book of Acts. The only reference to the disciples seeking to determine the will of God occurs in the choosing of Matthias to succeed Judas. From that point onward, it is a record of God’s guiding His people…. God does have a plan for each of us. He has given each of us different gifts, abilities, and temperaments and has placed each of us in the body of Christ according to His will…. We do have a responsibility to make wise decisions or to discover the will of God, whichever term we may prefer to use. But God’s plan for us is not contingent upon our decisions. God’s plan is not contingent at all. God’s plan is sovereign. It includes our foolish decisions as well as our wise ones. (pg. 181-182)

Isn’t that perspective refreshing? Bridges shares his heart in this book. It doesn’t appear to have been an easy one for him to write. You can tell he’s been through a lot personally and has shared the grief of many who have suffered even more. His personal accounts and illustrations add life to the book. His openness about his sin and failures to trust God is inspiring. He writes with an earnestness and confidence that can only be accompanied by prayers for those of us who would read this important book.

This book will be challenging at times, but the effort is rewarding. I encourage you to pick up a copy of this book and spend some time learning from Jerry Bridges as he takes you through the Bible. You will be better equipped to face the suffering that is in store for all of us. And you will find yourself trusting God, even when life hurts.

JERRY BRIDGES is an author and conference speaker. His most popular book, The Pursuit of Holiness, has sold over one million copies. Jerry has been on the staff of The Navigators for over fifty years, and currently serves in the Collegiate Mission where he is involved primarily in staff development, but also serves as a speaker resource to the campus ministries.

Disclaimer: this book was provided by the publisher for review. The reviewer was under no obligation to provide a positive review.

This book is available for purchase at the following sites: Westminster Bookstore, Amazon.com, and direct from NavPress.

Christianity Today Interviews John Sailhammer re: His Book The Meaning of the Pentateuch (IVP)

~ Bob Hayton

John Sailhammer’s new book The Meaning of the Pentateuch continues to garner publicity. I was blessed with a copy of this important book (thanks IVP), and will be reviewing it in a few months (it’s 610 pages long!!).

Christianity Today‘s Collin Hansen recently interviewed Prof. Sailhammer about his new book. I’ve included the first question and answer below (HT: Justin Taylor). Be sure to read the whole interview.

How do you explain the meaning of the Pentateuch to evangelicals who revere these foundational books but do not see their relevance?

Experience has taught me that we really have to want to understand the meaning of the Pentateuch before we see its relevance for our lives. I’ve been fortunate to have students who have kept me looking for answers about the meaning and relevance of this book. The old theologians used to speak of “the love for Scripture” as a sign of true faith in Christ. They would say, “We should read the Old Testament as if it were written with the blood of Christ.” For them, the Old Testament and the Pentateuch in particular was a Christian book, a book about Christ. For most evangelical Christians today it is a book about archaeology and ancient history.

Here we have to be careful because, to be sure, the Old Testament is about ancient history. But that is not its meaning. Its meaning is Christ. Saying that also calls for a great deal of caution. In my book, I take the view that the whole of the Pentateuch is about Christ, but that doesn’t mean that Christ is in the whole Pentateuch. Finding Christ in the Pentateuch means learning to see him when he is there rather than trying to see when he is not there. I like to tell my students that we don’t need to spiritualize the Old Testament to find Christ, but we do need to read it with spiritual eyes.

I have a good friend who likes to chide me by saying you don’t need “exegesis” to find Christ in the Old Testament. All we need is some “extra Jesus.” I wrote my book in part to show my friend and others like him that serious scholarship leads one to find Christ in the Old Testament because he is really there. The author of the Pentateuch put him there when he wrote the book. I’ve found that if you show someone that Christ is really there in the Pentateuch and the Old Testament, they will come back to see more””not merely because they have come to revere the Pentateuch as a foundational book, but more importantly because they want to see more of Jesus.

The introduction of the book is available online. I recently posted a quote from his introduction (which will make you really want to read the book!). You can pick up a copy of the book at Amazon.com, or support a Christian bookstore with your purchase: Westminster Bookstore or Monergism Books.