Trusting Like a Child
Psalm 131
Oh Lord, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. Oh Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore.
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This morning as I was leaving my house, God reminded me that He is the perfect Father, the perfect Daddy. Just a couple hours later, I read the verses above.
Now that I’ve had the privilege of being a dad for a little less than two years, I’m understanding the love of God in a new light. I want so badly to love my little boy and little girl well, to provide whatever they need and to give them the best childhood experience they could possibly have. Yet, the love I have for them is so infinitely small compared to God’s love for us in Christ. Matthew 7:9-11 says, “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
So, here’s the question, “Do you trust that God will give you all that you need?” It all rides on this. If you don’t, you are experiencing great toil and the toil will increase. If you do, peace will guard your heart.
The underlying reason for this trust is Jesus crucified. God’s one and only Son came to this earth and experienced the full condemnation in our stead. He, who had spent eternity past with his Daddy, came willingly to the people who had (and do) rebel against Him to die. In the garden, He did not fear the nails that would be put in his hand, but rather He sweat blood because of the separation He was about to experience from the One who had always been with Him. Again, He did this so that we would never hear nothing, that we would always experience the Father’s presence and great love. He became nothing so that we could become sons! Romans 8:32 says, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”
Be encouraged: He is in control, He loves you infinitely more than you have been loved by your earthly dad, He will complete all that He started and He is so proud of you that He could bust because Jesus did what you could not do and lived the life you should have lived and died the death you should die. If you are in Christ, you are sons and daughters!
Delivered… Redeemed… Forgiven…
Colossians 1:13-14
He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
Ridiculous
Today, I had the privilege of spending time w/ a good buddy of mine from college. In the last year or two, God has been revealing his love to this guy and it is so fun to see how much joy he has in the gospel. He’s passionate about re-articulating the gospel to people who have thought they’ve understood it for years and yet find themselves numb to it or simply lacking in joy. He shared an analogy w/ me that was helpful. Here it is… Everybody is driven by something, an engine, if you will. One engine is defined by the will and the other is defined by the grace and love of God.
What is driving you? What engine are you using to move forward in the world? It’s a rare thing to be empowered by the love and grace of God, but when that is your engine, it’s staggering how much joy you can experience. My buddy was crying tears of joy for 10 minutes today as he was simply reflecting on the love and grace of God to him. He is free from ‘trying hard’ to earn God’s favor. He is free from ‘trying hard’ to be sanctified (or grow in God). He is free because God is opening his eyes to the ridiculous nature of His grace.
Final thought is this… In my friend’s interactions with people that have moved away from Christianity, they have been greatly encouraged in their conversations with him. Why? Because he was telling them somehting so different from the religion that they were used to hearing. Instead of it being about them and their effort, it was all about Jesus and that He accomplished what they could never do. Jesus did not only come to save us, he came to take us all the way home. He said that after he talks w/ these friends, they sometimes remark that this kind of grace is ridiculous! It is then that he knows he communicated it appropriately because it is just that. Jesus did it all and as much as we try to contribute to His finished work, we simply can’t do it. He desires mercy, not sacrifice!
Justification and Fear (Per Dane Ortlund’s Blog)
I read this post today by Dane Ortlund (HT: Strawberry-Rhubarb Theology) and thought it was incredible. I’m posting it below and encourage you to check this guy’s blog out if you get a chance. He posts almost daily and has many great things to share. He’s the son of Ray Ortlund, a well known pastor in Georgia and was a classmate of mine @ Wheaton several years back. Again, amazing post.
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Our tendency in our evangelical churches and our evangelical lives is to believe in and uphold and love justification by faith (i.e. justification by simply refusing to self-justify) but then to move on to other ideas and strategies when it comes to our emotional life and the daily pressures that do not lie directly in the “moral” realm.
This is a great mistake.
Take fear, for instance. Why do get anxious? Because we are afraid that our functional god will condemn us–not justify us–if we fail it. So for example, we are fearful of not succeeding in a job, or not impressing someone we respect, or failing the test, or missing the shot. We fantasize about succeeding in those real life situations and have nightmares about failing. Why do we do that? Because we have not let the radioactive nature of the doctrine of justification by faith destroy our malignant idolatries. Sensing our inadequacy we set up our career, our relationships, our studies, our athletic abilities as functional gods to which we are looking for justification–to know we’re okay. More than any other human drive, we all want to know, simply, that we are okay. And there is security in self-achievement.
But it is an insecure security, because it rests on our performance. What I’m wondering is: what if we went into the interview, the conversation, the classroom, the game, already okay? Already justified. Not just theologically, but emotionally. Not just in our mind but in our gut. And what if the one who had declared us okay knew our inadequacy far more deeply than we do–yet had still, not in a grumpy voice but with singing (Zeph 3:17), justified us? That would be a relief and a courage no self-achievement could ever touch.
And it can be ours. How? By simply opening ourselves up to it. Christ was the one person who ever lived who was, from the womb, “okay.” “Justified.” But he allowed himself to be made un-okay, he allowed himself to fail, so that you and I, failures, can be fully justified–not just declared okay in the presence of God, but also in the presence of the many idolatries that beckon our worship throughout life.
If you have been justified theologically, have you also been justified emotionally?
Luther understood this. Here’s what the irritable churchman says in his Romans commentary on 9:30-10:4.
One who believes in Christ is secure in his conscience; he is righteous and, as the Scripture says, “bold as a lion (Prov 28:1). And again: “Whatever shall befall the righteous shall not cause him anxiety” (Prov 12:21). . . .
All this means: one who believes in Christ does not hasten or flee; he is not frightened, because he fears nothing; he stands quiet and secure, founded upon a firm rock, according to the teaching of the Lord in Matt 7:24. But one who will not believe in him . . . will flee, yet he will not be able to escape when tribulation and anxiety and, above all, the judgment of God assail him. (Luther: Lectures on Romans, ed. W. Pauck, 282-83)
I took a doctoral seminar on Pauline justification last year; I think it’s only in recent days that I’m finally figuring out what justification means.
My Hope is In The Lord
The following is a hymn we sang in church this morning following our pastor’s sermon on Galatians 1:6-7. There is only one gospel, yet there are many distorted forms (which are actually no gospels at all). The gospel is that we are absolutely broken, sinful and needy people and that Jesus came to be our righteousness. There is a tremendous pull even in good churches to teach something less than this. Anything that lessens our inability, sin and neediness and gives us a place in our redemption and healing is wrong and is so prevalent because it speaks to our inward desire to be our own saviors and lords. We do not want to stand naked in acknowledgement of our sin, but rather we want to put clothes on (our works) and present ourselves on our own as worthy. What a heavy attempt at salvation. The gospel gives us no room for pride, but it sure does give us room for rest. If you want to check out some great sermons or add a pastor to your list of who to listen to, add Joshua Moody. He’s the new pastor @ College Church in Wheaton and you can find his sermons here. The following hymn is a great reminder of the gospel.
Hymn by Norman Clayton (1945)
My hope is in the Lord Who gave Himself for me,
And paid the price of all my sin at Calvary.
For me He died, For me He lives,
And everlasting life and light He freely gives.
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No merit of my own His anger to suppress.
My only hope is found in Jesus’ righteousness.
For me He died, For me He lives,
And everlasting life and light He freely gives.
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And now for me He stands Before the Father’s throne.
He shows His wounded hands and names me as His own.
For me He died, For me He lives,
And everlasting life and light He freely gives.
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His grace has planned it all, ‘Tis mine but to believe,
And recognize His work of love and Christ receive.
For me He died, For me He lives,
And everlasting life and light He freely gives.
In Christ Alone
by Stewart Townend and Keith Getty
In Christ alone my hope is found;
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all-
Here in the love of Christ I stand.
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In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied;
For ev’ry sin on Him was laid-
Here in the death of Christ I live.
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There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day,
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory,
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me;
For I am His and He is mine-
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.
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No guilt in life, no fear in death-
This is the pow’r of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow’r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home-
Here in the pow’r of Christ I’ll stand.
Unique Teaching
I’ve been encouraged to read Luther’s Commentary on Galatians by several people over the past couple years and came across the following in a bible study on Galatians from Tim Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. The following excerpt is not too lengthy and it is certainly one of the best things I’ve ever read. If you are looking for a good bible study, click here and if you want to see more of Luther’s Commentary, click here.
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Preface to Galatians by Martin Luther
1. The most important thing in the world
The one doctrine which I have supremely in my heart is that of faith in Christ, from whom, through whom and unto whom all my theological thinking flows back and forth, day and night. This rock, which we call the doctrine of justification through faith, was shaken by Satan in paradise when he persuaded our first parents that they might by their own wisdom and power become like God. Every since then the whole world has invented innumerable religions and ways through which, without the aid of Christ, use their works to redeem themselves from evil and sins. When Paul discusses the biblical doctrine of justification by faith he explains that there are several kinds of “righteousness.” First, there is political or civil righteousness — the nation’s public laws — which magistrates and lawyers may defend and teach. Second, there is cultural righteousness — the standards of our family and social grouping or class — which parents and schools may teach. Third, there is ethical righteousness — the Ten Commandments and law of God — which the church may teach but only in light of Christian righteousness. So all these may be received without danger, as long as we attribute to them no power to satisfy for sin, to please God, or to deserve grace… These kinds of righteousness are gifts of God, like all good things we enjoy… Yet there is another righteousness, far above the others, which Paul calls “the righteousness of faith” — Christian righteousness. God imputes it to us apart from our works — in other words, it is passive righteousness, as the others are active. For we do nothing for it, and we give nothing for it. We only receive it.
2. The need for Christian righteousness
This “passive” righteousness is a mystery that the world cannot understand. Indeed, Christians never completely understand it themselves, and thus do not take advantage of it when they are troubled and tempted. So we have to constantly teach it, repeat it, and work it out in practice. Anyone who does not understand this righteousness or cherish it in the heart and conscience will continually be buffeted by fears and depression. Nothing gives peace like this passive righteousness. For human beings by nature, when they get near either danger or death itself, will of necessity examine their own worthiness. We defend ourselves before all threats by recounting our good deeds and moral efforts. But then the remembrance of sins and flaws inevitably comes to mind, and this tears us apart, and we think, “How many errors and sins and wrongs I have done! Please God, let me live so I can fix and amend them.” We become obsessed with our active righteousness and are terrified by its imperfections. But the real evil is that we trust our own power to be righteous and will not lift up our eyes to see what Christ has done for us… So the troubled conscience has no cure for its desperation and feeling of unworthiness unless it takes hold of the forgiveness of sins by grace, offered free of charge in Jesus Christ, which is this passive or Christian righteousness… If I tried to fulfill the law myself, I could not trust in what I had accomplished, neither could it stand up to the judgment of God. So…I rest only upon the righteousness of Christ… which I do not produce but receive, God the Father freely giving it to us through Jesus Christ.
3. Law and grace
It is an absolute and unique teaching in all the world, to teach people, through Christ, to live as if there were no law or wrath or punishment. In a sense, they do not exist any longer for the Christian, but only total grace and mercy for Christ’s sake. Once you are in Christ, the law is the greatest guide for your life, but until you have Christian righteousness, all the law can do is to show you how sinful and condemned you are. In fact, to those outside of Christian righteousness, the law needs to be expounded in all its force. Why? So that people who think they have power to be righteous before God will be humbled by the law and understand they are sinners. Therefore we must be careful to use the law appropriately. If we used the law in order to be accepted by God through obedience, then Christian righteousness becomes mixed up with earned/moral righteousness in our minds. If we try to earn our righteousness by doing many good deeds, we actually do nothing. We neither please God through our works-righteousness nor do we honor the purpose for which the law was given. But if we first receive Christian righteousness, then we can use the law, not for our salvation, but for his honor and glory, and to lovingly show our gratitude. So then, have we nothing to do to obtain this righteousness? No, nothing at all! For this righteousness comes by doing nothing, hearing nothing, knowing nothing, but rather in knowing and believing this only — that Christ has gone to the right hand of the Father, not to become our judge, but to become for us our wisdom, our righteousness, our holiness, our salvation! Now God sees no sin in us, for in this heavenly righteousness sin has no place. So now we may certainly think, “Although I still sin, I don’t despair, because Christ lives, who is both my righteousness and my eternal life.” In that righteousness I have no sin, no fear, no guilty conscience, no fear of death. I am indeed a sinner in this life of mine and in my own righteousness, but I have another life, another righteousness above this life, which is in Christ, the Son of God, who knows no sin or death, but is eternal righteousness and eternal life.
4. Living the gospel
While we live here on earth, we will be accused, exercised with temptations, oppressed with heaviness and sorrow, and bruised by the law with its demands of active righteousness. Because of this, Paul sets out in this letter of Galatians to teach us, to comfort us, and to keep us constantly aware of this Christian righteousness. For if the truth of being justified by Christ alone (not by our works) is lost, then all Christian truths are lost. For there is no middle ground between Christian righteousness and works righteousness. There is no other alternative to Christian righteousness but works righteousness; if you do not build your confidence on the work of Christ, you must build your confidence on your own work. On this truth and only on this truth the church is built and has its being. This distinction is easy to utter in words, but in use and experience it is very hard. So I challenge you to exercise yourselves continually in these matters through study, reading, meditation on the Word and prayer, so that in the time of trial you will be able to both inform and comfort both your consciences and others, to bring them from law to grace, from active/works-righteousness to passive/Christ’s righteousness. In times of struggle, the devil will seek to terrify us by using against us our past record and the wrath and law of God. So if we cannot see the differences between the two kinds of righteousness, and if we do not take hold of Christ by faith, sitting at the right hand of God (Heb.7:25) and pleading our case as sinners to the Father, then we are under the law, not under grace. Christ is no savior, but a lawgiver, and no longer our salvation, but an eternal despair. So learn to “speak the gospel” to one’s heart. For example, when the law creeps into your conscience, learn to be a cunning logician — learn to use arguments of the gospel against it. Say: O law! You would climb up into the kingdom of my conscience, and there reign and condemn me for sin, and would take from me the joy of my heart which I have by faith in Christ, and drive me to desperation, that I might be without hope. You have overstepped your bounds. Know your place! You are a guide for my behavior, but you are not Savior and Lord of my heart. For I am baptized, and through the gospel am called to receive righteousness and eternal life… So trouble me not! For I will not allow you, so intolerable a tyrant and tormentor, to reign in my heart and conscience — for they are the seat and temple of Christ the Son of God, who is the king of righteousness and peace, and my most sweet savior and mediator. He shall keep my conscience joyful and quiet in the sound and pure doctrine of the gospel, through the knowledge of this passive and heavenly righteousness. When we are assured of this righteousness, we not only cheerfully work well in our vocations, but we submit to all manner of burdens and dangers in this present life, because we know that this is the will of God, and that this obedience pleases him. This then is the argument of this Epistle, which Paul expounds against the false teachers who had darkened the Galatians’ understanding of this righteousness by faith.
Relax
“Know enough to start each day with a thoroughgoing stand upon Luther’s platform: you are accepted, looking outward in faith and claiming the wholly alien righteousness of Christ as the only ground for acceptance, relaxing in that quality of trust which will produce increasing sanctification as faith is active in love and gratitude.” – Richard Lovelace
