A preacher’s awesome responsibility.

I was talking with a friend of mine about how little people in the church know and love the gospel of God’s grace in Christ. He mentioned the greatest confusion and worry came in understanding the relationship between law and gospel; and preachers added to the confusion.

This reminded me of a minister’s great responsibility to preach Jesus Christ in order to help God’s people know and love the gospel. I then read this excerpt from George H. Tavard’s work, The Starting Point of Calvin’s Theology. In this quote Tavard summarizes Calvin’s view of the ministry. It’s a great encouragement to press on to help God’s church mature in the knowledge of God, even the relationship between law and gospel. Now I think we should be aware Calvin does not promote the CEO, the facilitator, or the ‘be a winning leader’ model. He says be a shepherd, a father, a leader, a guardian and back it all up with a life filled with the love of the gospel. Here is the quote.

"Rather, a true bishop is a guardian of the people of God, entrusted with its care, watching over its salvation. His administration is geared to the dispensation of the divine mysteries and the building of the house of God. Since preaching is itself call 'power of God for salvation to every believer' (Rom 1:16), and 'kingdom of God' (Mt 4:17), the chief duty of bishops is to proclaim the Word of God. They must give the people 'the taste of the word of God,' not any kind of taste, but the one that the Lord wants. They have also to become the providence of the people, their voice, and 'the eyes of the church.' As 'shepherds' they must be more than 'father, president, leader, or guardian.' Or rather, 'the shepherd not only has the task of leading, ruling, and serving, but somehow also being father.' This may be summed up in three functions: 'to feed the church with the food of the word, to protect it from Satan's incursions with the resources of the word, and then through holiness of life to show the way that should be followed by those who aspire and strive after the Kingdom of God.'" G.H. Tavard, The Starting Point of Calvin's Theology. Pg, 147.

Torrance on the revelation of God. God giving himself.

Since I am blogging on God's revelation I thought I would post this great thought from T.F. Torrance on the revelation of God.

“ In him, the Word of God made flesh, God brought his long historical interaction and revelatory dialogue with Israel to its consummation in revealing, not just something further about himself, but now his very Self as the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, and gave specific personal content to his Name ‘I am who I am / I will be who I will be’ by identifying himself as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. In this final revelation of himself God proclaims himself to all mankind as the one Lord God the Father Almighty, the Maker of heaven and earth, who in his overflowing love will not be without us human beings but has freely come among us to be one of us and one with us in order to reconcile us to himself and to bring us into communion with himself.” Thomas F. Thorance, The Christian Doctrine of God, One Being Three Persons (Edinburgh, Scotland: T&T Clark, 1996). 15.

God gives and he gives himself, Pt.3. The chosen one: Jesus Christ.

This is the third post on the topic of God’s revelation. This is what we have seen so far.

First, remember, God is a giving God, but what present does he give? God gives himself in Jesus Christ by the power of the Spirit. Both Jesus Christ and the bible show us this.

Secondly, to unpack the above point we read about election. God chooses people in order to reveal himself. Think of the OT stories. In all of them in one way or another we learn that God the Giver gave to give himself. He gave when he went after sinners and chose a special people he would call his own through whom he would reveal himself to the world.

Now we come to point number three and we still have to talk about election…the election not of a people, but the election of a Person. It is Jesus Christ.

In him he gave himself. He is the Word of God. He that has seen him, has seen the Father. Thinking back to the story of David and the Temple in 1 Chronicles 29 and how it connects with Jesus Christ we remember that he is the Son of David, the true Israel of God. He is the true Temple of God for he is greater than the Temple, and wiser than Solomon. The temple was destroyed and Solomon was not the eternal king, for the Lord had set up Christ Jesus his Son for this. In him the glory of God dwells. Jesus Christ brings us into fellowship with the Father and the Spirit. In him we worship God in the Spirit and in truth. And of course through Christ we are cleansed from guilt and sin, forgiven freely and made new. Jesus is the Word of God whom we are to hear and can hear by the Spirit’s work. In him we are the new Temple being built up into the dwelling place of God and so God dwells with us and we with God. God chose Christ from before the foundation of the world so he could give himself to us, and be our Savior. God the Son offered himself as our sacrifice, in the power of Spirit, according to the Father’s will. As God gave to the people so they could give to God for the building of the Temple (1 Chr 29), so God gave himself as a sacrifice for sin so he could give himself in forgiveness and love to his people. This giving of God brings us to praise him.

Here in Christ is God’s revelation of himself. “What God is toward us in Christ and the Holy Spirit he is eternally in himself.” T.F. Torrance.

God gives and he gives himself, Pt.2. The role of election in revelation.

Been busy over the past week and had no time to blog. But back at it today.

Here is part 2 of my thoughts on God giving himself to us in revelation.

We have to talk about election at this point. God chooses people. You might ask what does that have to do with God’s giving of himself in revelation? Well, let me put it this way, when man rebelled against God he freely took every effort to come to us. From Seth, to Noah, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob God gave himself. In revelation, in his promises, by his protection, and in his guidance God gave to them. Then think of Israel the nation. God chose them not because of anything in them, but for his names sake. He gave them Moses, through Moses his name; he gave them his presence in the tabernacle and gave them his leadership. From there he gave Israel the judges, and gave these judges his call, his power, his promise to them to do his work amongst his people. And what of Israel’s king!? God himself would give his king. Yes, the people chose Saul and God anointed him, but this Saul failed even as Judas did; yet, this failure served to show how much God needed to give his king…and he did.

In all this we learn that God the Giver gave to give himself. He gave when he went after sinners and chose a special people he would call his own through whom he would reveal himself to the world. Look at the story in 1 Chronicles 29. Here God gave to his people so that Israel could give for the building of the Temple. David and these people were part of that election. And in his grace he gave to them so they could serve him to build the Temple where God would give himself. In a true sense God giving himself is the whole story of the OT. Th2 1 Chronicles 29 account was one part, one brick in that plan.

But what plan? To give himself. He would come in the fullness of time, not in dreams, visions, or other gifts; he would come himself. He would be the chosen one who would be the very revelation of God. It was Jesus Christ.

Calvin’s Institutes: Doctrine of Justification Pt.3. “By faith not by works”

Here is today’s summary.

1. Justification is by faith alone, only! Sinners are not justified by faith and works, but only by faith alone. Justification must be either by one of the other. If we are justified by works then it is not by faith. If by faith alone, then it is not by works. (Phil. 3:8-9)

2. If we achieve our own righteousness by our own works, then we must do away with God’s gift of grace in Christ because it will be of no value to us…we don’t need grace. So if God does not put us right by Christ then boasting in who we are is not excluded but rather encouraged.

3. This is completely against God’s grace. We receive righteousness from God by grace through faith alone. (Rom.3:25-27; 4:2-4; Gal 2:21) Calvin says, “Righteousness according to grace is owed to faith. Therefore it does not arise from the merit of works. Farewell, then, to the dream of those who think up a righteousness flowing together out of faith and works” (Pg., 744).

4. This grace of justification which we receive by faith alone is God freely imputing to us the righteousness of Christ. It is not an infusion of Christ’s righteousness to us, thus enabling us to co-operate with God in salvation.

5. The Bible witnesses that God the Father first purposes to embrace the sinner whom he has elected in Christ his Son. The Father then draws that sinner to his Son by the Spirit’s power giving him a sense of God’s goodness and his own sinfulness, thus despairing of his own goodness flees to Christ. “This is the experience of faith through which the sinner comes into possession of his salvation when from the teaching of the gospel he acknowledges that he has been reconciled to God: that with Christ’s righteousness interceding and forgiveness of sins accomplished he is justified” (Pg., 746).

6. Is there such a thing as law righteousness? Yes and no. Yes, in the sense that the law of God is God and true and would give life if it could. However, it cannot because of human sin. That leads to the no! No, because law righteousness does not and cannot save the sinner because he cannot attain to law righteousness. We must know the distinction between the righteousness of the law and gospel; and the differences between the promises of the law and gospel.

The righteousness (being put right) that comes by the law attributes being put right to works. The promises of the law depend upon human obedience. It is different with the gospel. Being put right by the gospel means God himself puts us right by giving us the righteousness of Christ, apart form the help of works. The promises of the gospel are free and freeing, and dependent solely upon God’s mercy.


7. It is obvious from Scripture that the law is different from faith. (Rom. 10:5-6; Gal. 3:18; Hab. 2:4; Gal 3:11-12) Why? Because, works are mandatory for law righteousness, but faith righteousness demands no works, it is all of grace. Calvin writes, “Now the gospel differs from the law in that it does not link righteousness to works but lodges if solely in God’s mercy” (Pg., 748).

8. But the question arises, “What about good works?” More on that latter in Calvin, but at this juncture it should be understood that, “Moral works are also excluded from the power of justifying. Why, ‘since through the law comes the knowledge of sin’ [Rom 3:20], therefore not righteousness. Because the law does not make conscience certain, it cannot confer righteousness either. Because faith is imputed as righteousness, righteousness is therefore no the reward of works but is given unearned [Rom. 4:4-5]. Because we are justified by faith our boasting is cut off [Rom 3:27] and ‘if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.’ [Gal 3:21-22]” (Pg., 749).

9. One last thing but the most important thing is this, by faith alone means, by Jesus Christ alone!.

God gives and he gives himself, Pt.1. Introduction

I’m starting a series of posts on the revelation of God, and how we can come to know him. Today is the introduction. This reminds me of the joke from Ireland. A young man asks a girl he would like to get to know, “Is this seat empty?” To which she abruptly said, “Yes, and this one will be if you sit down.” I hope this introduction will not cause you to leave your computer seat.

Our God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is a giving God. He gave, and his giving continues. Over and over again Scripture tells of God, his mighty works, and what he is up to as it takes place in this place where we live. In all of this, this truth comes up: God is a giving God.

But what present does he give? Here we can’t give him any ideas, or a list. We can tell idols what to give and even give him a list. People do that, which is why Santa Clause is so popular. But you can’t give God in the Highest any ideas about giving. He is free. “Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding?” (Is 40:14). No, only God himself teaches us about himself as giver and what he gives.

And this really brings us to the heart of what God has shown us about himself as Giver and his gift – both in the bible, and in Jesus Christ, namely that God gives, and that he gives himself.

The Bible testifies beyond doubt that God is a God of providence for a reason. You know what providence is? Simply it means God rules, and looks after all he has made in his wisdom, goodness and sovereign will. Scripture speaks of this providence this way; he feeds the birds of the field, he clothes the flowers, he gives the sun by day the moon by night. In other words God gives himself to care for this world. He gave creation, and even though sin came into it, he was not going to let it go. So God’s providence (sovereign rule & care over this world) is here because God gave himself as this world’s creator and he is giving it to us still…sustaining it.

Now we human beings should know this from what we see around us. Take for example the snowflake. Snowflakes are all six-sided. They start as hexagonal shapes and then grow forming an infinite variety of designs to delight us. No two are alike. This should cause us to see some the awesomeness of God. But sadly in man’s sinful nature, we sinfully twist it all around to our own purposes. Like someone who steels your camera, erases all your pictures and then uses it for himself, so man in his sin steels nature for himself and erases God from the picture; and sets up evolution, freedom of choice, dictatorships, etc. Scripture shines differently. It does not try to prove God, it declares God and in God’s grace, here we see God gave creation and gives himself to care for it, because he says it’s very good.

But there is more, Jesus Christ…and actually all of God’s creation and providence serve to give us Christ. Think of a watch, the whole thing all the wheels, springs, rods, and gears are for the hands. Now think of all the stories in the bible. From Adam and Eve, to Abraham, to the exile. Think of God allowing sin in, his feeding the fish, his confusing the languages at Babel. Think even of Saul and Judas; these all served his giving purposes, the giving of his very self for us to enjoy, worship, fear, and trust. “For God so loved the world, that he gave….” And he still does that. Just think of how God gave himself for you? There on the cross…and then now in a sermon, at the sacrament, sometimes even a song, or a severe trial and God by the Spirit makes the lights go on and you see what God the Son has done for you so you can have God as your Father.