My math teacher told me the truth.

When I was in my Junior or Senior year of high school, I wasn't the best of kids. Sure, I wasn't the worst of kids, but I definitely wasn't the best... It was mostly about being mischievous, but there was a definite path that I was taking. I wasn't aware of this myself, when you are smack dab in the middle of the morality compass, it is easy to think about the fact that you really aren't all that bad.

On top of that, I knew the Word. My parents were both Christians, I went to church every Sunday, I went to a Christian School, I attended all of the revival services our church held, and I made my way to a Christian Camp in the summer. The Bible was something that I was very familiar with, but I was a hearer of the Word and not really a doer. All of this attendance was mandatory at that particular time of my life, so it was a faulty gauge for measuring my actual spirituality.

There were other things that should have made me aware of this reality, but I was self-deceived. That mischievous, rotten nature, that displayed the destructive path that I was taking, would peek out at every opportunity that it could. And the very first person that saw through all of that "required Christianity" was none other than my math teacher. He had caught me with something that had no business being in a Christian School. He pulled me out in the hall and said something to me that I have never forgotten.

It wasn't really profound or beautifully quotable, but it is the statement that I always use to mark the beginning of God's gracious work in my life. Once out in the hall, away from my peers, he simply said to me, "Matt Harmless, I don't believe that you are saved."

Of all of the things that could have been told to me, this ended up being exactly what I needed to hear. What a gracious God, to bring this analytically thinking man into my life, to brilliantly add up all of the loose ends and calculate all of the variables in my life and deduce, with the same logical mind that was teaching us mathematical proofs, that my faith added up to zero.

Those words rang in my ears for the next few years of my life. At first they seemed arrogant. "Who was he to tell me... ?" Then they were audacious and insulting, but eventually those words proved themselves to me to be true. And it was the sheer truth of those words that cut me to the heart.

It was another three or four years before I was eventually captured by God's extravagant grace, but when I tell the story of my salvation, I nearly always begin there - that moment in the hallway outside of my math class, when my math teacher figured it out and told me the truth. When I look back, I can see so clearly that those words were the first spark in the chain reaction of my own salvation.

Thank you, Mr. Cofer, for being brave enough and bold enough to tell me the truth.

Does God Desire All To Be Saved? - Book Review

I finished listening to the ChristianAudio version of John Piper's book Does God Desire All To Be Saved? a few weeks ago, but didn't have a chance to write the review until today.

The question, "Does God desire all to be saved?" is a challenging question and a challenging answer (no matter what your answer) and it made for a challenging book to read.  The question is challenging no matter how you answer it, because whichever way you go there are implications. A simple, "Yes." doesn't even really answer the question.

Some believe that all will be saved... eventually. I don't believe that. I can't. The Bible just doesn't leave room for that interpretation. But nevertheless, some can answer yest to this question, believing that all will eventually be saved.

Others might answer yes, knowing full well that all are not saved, but are doomed to eternal punishment. This leaves a new challenge. Does God have unmet desires? Is God unsuccessful in His attempts? Where does this leave us?

An answer of, "No." brings on a whole new set of challenges to deal with.

In this book John Piper, as he always does, digs deep into scripture. That is my favorite thing about Piper books. I know that I am not going to simply get his opinion, but an expounding of scriptures that are specifically related to the question at hand. You can tell from his books that he genuinely wants to know what the Bible says.

The voice talent on this book does an excellent job of bringing to life the words of this book. I enjoy an audio book much more if I can almost feel as if I am simply listening to a person talking to me. The way the book is written and the way it is read pulled me into this discussion. When I finished listening to it, I almost went back to the beginning to listen again. Piper doesn't dwell too long on any one thought, unless it is absolutely necessary. This left me feeling like I needed to pause and think occasionally or simply go back to the beginning.

If you have a desire to get away from a simplistic answer to this question and dig deep into the scriptures to see how God's Word answers this question, then you really need to get this book. I must warn you though, it is not for the person who doesn't want to think and consider and ponder big thoughts of God.

Our Advocate has a Great Case!

I am about two thirds of the way through the book Encounters with Jesus: Unexpected Answers to Life's Biggest Questions by Timothy Keller. I normally try to wait until I finish a book and then just give a nice little review, but this section I just read in the chapter "The Two Advocates" is well worth mentioning on its own.

This portion that I have included parallels some thoughts that I have also had, but as is the case with an exceptionally talented author, Timothy Keller has phrased it much better than I ever could have. I know this is a long quote, but it is worth it.

In the early days after becoming a Christian, I first heard of this idea that Jesus Christ somehow "intercedes" for me before the Father. I got this out of the book of Hebrews, where Jesus is depicted as our great high priest who stands before the Father for us, as priests in the Old Testament did for the people. When I first heard the idea of Jesus Christ representing me before the Father, it made me think of him going before the throne like this: "Good morning, Father, I represent Tim Keller. And my client, I admit, is having a very bad week. He's broken three or four promises he made to you. He has broken several of your laws that he knows and acknowledges. He has sinned a lot this week. He deserves to be punished -- but cut him a break, please, Father? For my sake? I really ask that you give him another chance." That's how I imagined him speaking. And I also imagined the Father saying in reply, "Well, all right. Okay. For you, one more chance." 

Now the trouble with that imaginary scenario is that Jesus does not have a case; he is simply pleading for another chance. And I remember thinking, "I wonder how long even Jesus can keep that sort of thing up?" I wondered when the Father would finally say, "That does it! I've had it!" But my imagination was ill-informed. It is not sufficient for a lawyer to just resort to tugging on the heartstrings of the jury or the judge, or to try to delay the verdict, or to appeal to technicalities. The lawyer doesn't need spin or emotional manipulation -- but a real case. And that is just what Jesus has. 

What is his case? John goes on to tell us in I John 2:2. First he says, "He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins." When Jesus goes before the Father, he is not actually asking for mercy for us. Of course it was infinitely merciful of God to send Christ to die for us, but that mercy has now been granted, so Jesus does not need to beg for it. I John 1:9 says that "if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins." Notice that it does not say that if Christians confess their sins God forgives because he mercifully gives them another chance. No, it says he forgives because he is faithful and just. To not forgive us would be unjust. How could that be? 

The best way for you to get an acquittal for your legal client is not to hope you can get some sympathy from the court. The best way is to show that your client must be acquitted under the law. You want to be able to say with integrity and conviction, "This is the law, and the law demands my client's acquittal." You want to make a case that is not based on how the court feels at the time but is open ans shut according to the law. And Jesus has one! Jesus Christ can say, in effect, "Father, my people have sinned, and the law demands that the wages of sin be death. But I have paid for those sins. See, here is my blood, the token of my death! On the cross I have paid the penalty for these sins completely. Now if anyone were to exact two payments for the same sin, it would be unjust. And so -- I am not asking for mercy for them; I'm asking for justice." 

That, if Jesus' claims are true, is an infallible case. This is why John could say that when Christians confess their sins they are forgiven because the justice of God now demands it!

If you are interested in reading the rest of this book, you can click on through to the Amazon site and have it on your Kindle or Kindle Reading App in under a minute.

Keep following this blog for the review of this book as soon as I am finished reading it.

Faith and Works

After the last sermon I preached, someone that visited our church thought I was preaching a works-based salvation. Now, honestly, I don't believe in a works-based salvation.  But, after I thought about it, I have been accused of that before.  I'm telling you though, I believe that salvation comes by God's grace alone, and it is worked through God-gifted faith. (Eph. 2:8-9) I am not upset at all about the question, I am a school teacher... I love being questioned!  But I do want to mention this because there seems to be some confusion among many Christians that I know when it comes to the relationship between faith and works.

Another example of this happened a few weeks ago.  There was a prominent Pastor in the area that did some teaching on the topic of eternal security. He taught that you cannot lose your salvation, so to speak, but that you can walk away from the faith. Now, I don't want to put words in the mouth of this Pastor, and I believe him to be a godly man, who loves Jesus, but I would disagree with him.  At the same time, I would also disagree with many of the baptists in my town who believe in an eternal security that has no evidence except a person's declaration of belief.

Normally I would say that I fall somewhere between those two camps of thought, the eternal security camp and the no eternal security camp... In this case I won't say that I am between them, instead I am more off to one side, and I would classify both of those camps as basically the same error.

They have a weak view of God's salvation.

Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart - Book Review

I just finished listening to the Christian Audio version of Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart by J.D. Greear.

I grew up in a home and church that held to the belief that "once saved, always saved..."  As I have gotten older, it isn't that I have rejected eternal security, but I knew, even when I was young, that the application of that wonderful truth wasn't being accurately applied.

Like J.D. Greear, I have also "asked Jesus into my heart" on multiple occasions. And also, like this author, I have been baptized more than once.  Reading the Bible for myself and finding so many scriptures dealing with genuine salvation radically changed my life.  But this new-found knowledge left me wondering about my assurance.  I mean, if you could, "call Lord, Lord..." but not enter into heaven (cf. Matthew 7:21-23), then how could one know for sure.  My whole life I had learned that knowing was about remembering a time and place where I "accepted Jesus" into my life, and when I doubted my salvation, the method of dealing with that doubt was to simply pray again, but this time I had to really mean it.  But then, how would you know if you really meant it? In this book, when J.D. Greear tells us to "stop asking Jesus into your heart," he is not attacking the phraseology, but is reconstructing a Biblical perspective on Salvation and the Assurance of that Salvation.

J.D. Greear is thoroughly Biblical in his approach to this topic. When you read, or listen to, this book, you are not going to get an ear-full of personal opinion on this topic.  It is a Biblical study on the topic.  Personally, this is my favorite type of book.  I don't want a bunch of personal thoughts on a topic, just tell me what the Bible says.  At the same time that I was able to enjoy the Biblical foundation of this book and the thoughts behind each teaching, I found that I did not have a difficult time understanding what he was talking about.  He had a great blend of personal stories and revelations that made the Biblical Study aspect of the book remain in the foundation, while the end result was a thoroughly enjoyable book to listen to (or read).

The voice talent on this audio book was Tom Parks.  I believe that this might be the first time I have heard his work. He did a great job reading through this book.

Finally Alive by John Piper - Review

I just finished Finally Alive by John Piper and I would like to write a review for this book that will encourage you to go out and get this book for yourself.  It was good enough that I am planning on doing a Bible Study/Book Study using this book.  And it is important enough of a topic, that I want to promote its study as much as possible.

Here is what the Desiring God website says about this book:

Spiritual rebirth is precious and crucial. When Jesus said, “You must be born again,” he wasn't simply sharing interesting information; he was directing us toward eternal life.
It is essential to know what God intends when he uses this language of being born again, so that we may experience new birth and help others do the same.

So, Finally Alive is a book about the New Birth.  John Piper takes the time to explore several different passages of scripture that deal with this teaching.  That might be my favorite part about this book, it is truly an exploration of scripture, not a human-created mandate on a topic of interest to the author. In being so scripture-driven, he pulls together several different loose ends and shows the amazing power of God in the work of salvation.  This is a topic that has been near to my heart over the last several months as I have been preaching through the book of Ephesians.

As I said, I want to encourage you to read this book.  The understanding and the implications of the new birth can be life changing.  Not only will you walk away encouraged by the power of God in saving sinners, you will have a clearer picture of the necessity of sharing the gospel so that others may be born again.

You can download the pdf version of this book by going to the Desiring God website or by clicking here.

Not of Us

I've started typing this post four times, but it just isn't working.  When I have a thought on my mind that I want to post on the blog, I usually like to build up to it a bit before I really get to what I want to talk about.  I like to think that I am taking the reader (if there are any) through the process that led me up to that thought.  Today, I just can't seem to get the words to flow correctly.  So, if you would permit me, I would like to jump directly to the thought on my mind instead of building up to it.

Here it is: What is going on with people who leave the church?

I don't know about where you live, but Danville is full of people who've gone to church at some point in their life, most likely when they were young, but now they don't.  In fact, I've met many who have attended the small church where I am currently the pastor at some point in their past.

What is alarming is how many who will leave the church, but they don't believe that has any implications on their faith or their future destination.  Consider what John has to say about this:

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.
(1 John 2:19 ESV)

There are many implications in this passage.  Some of those implications might set you ill at ease.  It should.

Notice, if you would though, the implied benefit for those who stay.  The spiritual reality of those who have left has become plain to us.  In other words, we don't need to be bewildered or even apathetic about those who've left the church.  That is the reaction that many have.  They see their friend or neighbor or relative that used to go to church.  Instead of concern for them, the reactions tend to border on blatant disregard.  I mean, how can you really love someone without being concerned over their eternal state?  If they have left the church, then you have every reason to believe that their souls are in imminent danger and no reason to believe that they are probably fine.  They are in need of our prayers, and if necessary, some doctrinal correction.

How Big is your View of God's Salvation?

New Title Slide for Current Sermon Series

At Edgewood, we have been studying the book of Ephesians.  I think we started last September.  There was a short break in the study over the holidays, but January 1st we jumped back in. 

The theme for the book has been, "How big is your view of God?"  I left it at that through the course of the first 14 verses as Paul discussed all that God has done in Christ.  In verses 15 to 23 the theme was, "How big is your view of God's Church?"  because of the building emphasis on the church in the final two verses.  Paul built up through this prayer for the recipients of the letter, ending in this amazing pronouncement about the church, which, quite frankly, hardly fits what most people would think of the church.  If you would like to listen through either one of those first two mini-series portions of the Book of Ephesians, just visit our church's sermon audio blog.  

We are now in chapter two.  This is one of my favorite portions of the entire Bible.  I was able to preach through the first three verses last week which dealt with man's natural spiritual state.  We are dead, spiritually speaking, and by our very nature we deserve wrath.  That was a difficult message to preach through, mostly because our tendency, when talking about sin, is to deflect, thinking about the sinfulness of others while missing my own sinfulness.  Paul didn't do that.  He used words like "you" and "we" when discussing sin, instead of "them" and "those" as many of us do. 

I am looking forward to this coming week's message which includes two of the most important words in the Bible, "but God..."  Where would we be without these two words?

(image via a Google search)

the superficial work of many evangelists

I've been reading A.W. Pink's book, The Sovereignty of God during my bus trips to work and back home.  I Read this bit on the bus this morning:

The superficial work of many of the professional evangelists of the last fifty years is largely responsible for the erroneous view now current upon the bondage of the natural man, encouraged by the laziness of those in the pew in their failure to "prove all things" (I Thess. 5:21). The average evangelical pulpit conveys the impression that it lies wholly in the power of the sinner whether or not he shall be saved. It is said that "God has done His part, now man must do his."  Alas, what can a lifeless man do, and man by nature is "dead in trespasses and sins" (Eph. 2:1)!  If the truth were really believed, there would be more dependence upon the Holy Spirit to come in with His miracle-working power, and less confidence in our attempts to "win men for Christ."

As much as I agree with every word that Pink is saying, I still find myself relying on my preaching and my persuasive abilities for people to repent.  I need to repent.  It isn't that I shouldn't seek to be persuasive, it is that I shouldn't rely on that.  Listen to the rest that Pink has to say:

When addressing the unsaved, preachers often draw an analogy between God's sending of the Gospel to the sinner, and a sick man in bed, with healing medicine on a table by his side: all he needs to do is to reach forth his hand and take it. But in order for this illustration to be in any wise true to the picture which Scripture gives us of the fallen and depraved sinner, the sick man in bed must be described as one who is blind (Eph. 4:18) so that he cannot see the medicine, his hand paralyzed (Rom. 5:6) so that he is unable to reach forth for it, and his heart not only devoid of all confidence in the medicine but filled with hatred against the physician himself (John 15:18).  

O what superficial views of man's desperate plight are now entertained! Christ came here not to help those who are willing to help themselves, but to do for His people what they were incapable of doing for themselves: "To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house" (Isa. 42:7).