Born This Way?

The world seems to be gaga for Gaga. She has sold over 15 million albums and more than 50 million singles worldwide. Billboard Magazine named her the Artist of the Year in 2010. In 2011 she released a single entitled Born This Way, her tribute to GLBT normalcy. Upon release, Born This Way sold more than 1 million copies in its first week in the United States, debuting atop the Billboard Hot 100 and topping the charts in more than 10 other countries. This is not a discussion about homosexuality or its biological justification, though that is the focus of her song. This is a discussion about the premise of her assertion as expressed in her lyrics…

"There's nothing wrong with loving who you are"
She said, "'Cause he made you perfect, babe"

"So hold your head up girl and you'll go far,
Listen to me when I say"

[Chorus:]
I'm beautiful in my way
'Cause God makes no mistakes
I'm on the right track, baby
I was born this way

Don't hide yourself in regret
Just love yourself and you're set
I'm on the right track, baby
I was born this way

What Gaga is saying is that God created us “good”. Our natural condition is something that was given to us by God and that it should not only be embraced, but celebrated. This may be the perspective of the modern culture, but it is not the perspective of the Bible.

Man was indeed, in his original state, created perfect, in the image of God. God declared him “very good”. He was commanded to have dominion over the earth and to be fruitful and multiply. He had perfect communion with God. God’s covenant with humanity was a covenant of obedience. There was only one command from God. Do not eat from the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. As long as Adam obeyed God’s command, he would continue to have fellowship with Him. The price of disobedience was death. In fact God said that “the day you eat of it you will die” (Gen 2:17).

Genesis 3 describes in detail man’s fall. In his act of disobedience he spurned the good gifts that God had given him, a garden paradise, all the fruits of the garden, a wife, and most importantly, fellowship with God. He doubted the truthfulness of God and exchanged it for the serpent’s deceit. He repudiated his obligation to his creator, choosing autonomy instead. He showed contempt for God’s authority by insisting on his own way. It was not the fruit per se, but rather Adam’s disobedience, by breaking God’s covenant.

Immediately their eyes were opened and the realized they were naked. What they experienced was shame. Rather than making them wise and like God, they recognized their own wretchedness. They realized their corruption and discovered a guilty conscience. Their first response was to try and cover their guilt by sewing fig leaves together, as if this self made covering could cover their shame. If anything, they now knew that they would face the just wrath of God for their disobedience.

The next thing they did was to try and hide. Having once had perfect fellowship, love, and harmony with their Creator, they now find themselves repulsed by his presence. They could not bear to look upon the face of their Creator. God was the source of their life, and now they found themselves alienated from Him. His futile effort to hide himself from an omniscient and omnipresent God is evidence of how far he fell.

God called to Adam asking him, “Where are you?” This was not an indication of any ignorance on God’s part. This was a clear statement from God that a separation has taken place. Man who once had perfect fellowship with God was now hiding from His presence. God provided him an opportunity to acknowledge his guilt. Instead he responded in pride and ingratitude casting the blame on others, first by throwing his wife under the bus by blaming her for giving him the fruit. Then he blamed God for giving the woman to him. Adam had no one to blame but himself. He had the commandment direct from God and took the fruit knowing fully what he was doing. His disobedience brought the full judgment of God.

Remember that in Genesis 2:17 God declared that the very day they ate of the fruit that they would die. On that day, man died. This was not a physical death, though that would come later. It was a spiritual death.  AW Pink writes of this,

“’And death by sin’ which is not to be limited to mere physical dissolution, but must be understood of the penal consequences of Adam’s offence. All through this passage death is opposed unto ‘life’ and life includes very much more than physical existence or even immortality of soul. When God told Adam ‘In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die,’ He signified, first, die spiritually, that is be alienated from the source of Divine life. Second, in due course, die physically: ‘thy body shall go to corruption and return to the dust.’ Thirdly, die eternally, suffer the ‘second death’ (Rev 20:14), be cast into the lake of fire, there to suffer forever.”

The righteousness and holiness of the image of God, in which they were created, had departed. Their eyes were opened and with it came the realization of what they had done. They lost their innocence. Their guilty conscience, rather than compel them towards their Creator for forgiveness and restoration, drove them into hiding In shame. They were more concerned about their sin being discovered rather than regret at having sinned. They showed no sorrow, nor remorse, but in defiance tried to justify themselves by blaming each other and God Himself.

As a result, God cast him out of the garden and away from God’s presence. The death that God spoke of was that of separation from God. Isaiah 59:2 states, “but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God,” It produced a breach of affection between men as evidenced by Adam casting blame on his wife. It brought physical death. “For you are dust and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19). The Fall of man affected not only Adam himself, but his posterity as well.

Again, AW Pink states:

“God did not treat with mankind as with a field of corn, where each stalk stands on its own individual root, but rather he dealt with our race as with a tree- all the branches of which have one common root. While the root of the tree remains healthy and unharmed, the whole of it flourishes. But if an axe strikes at and severs the root, then the whole of the tree suffers and falls- not only the trunk, but the branches, and even its smallest twigs wither and die. Thus it was in connection with the Eden tragedy. When Adam’s communion with his Maker was broken, all his posterity were alienated from His favour. This is no theory of human speculation, but a fact of Divine revelation: ‘Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.’ (Rom. 5:12)”

One of the clearest teachings of the Bible is that the effects of Adam’s rebellion have been imputed to his posterity (all mankind). Genesis 5:3 reads, “When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth.” Note that Adam’s son was fathered in the image and likeness of Adam, not as he was originally created by God, but as he was after he fell. Other passages reiterate the same truth.

Psalm 51:5- “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.”

Psalm 58:3- “The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies.”

Job 14:4- “Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? There is not one.”

Job 15:14-16- “What is man that he can be pure? Or he who is born of a woman, that he can be righteous? Behold God puts no trust in his holy ones, and the heavens are not pure in his sight; how much less one who is abominable and corrupt, a man who drinks injustice like water!’

Genesis 8:21- ‘the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth”

Romans 5:12-21- “¹Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

I Corinthians 15:22- “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.”

Loraine Boettner speaks of generational iniquity as a Biblical concept in his book The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination:

“God declared Himself to Moses as one who visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children unto the third and fourth generation, Exodus 34:6,7…The curse pronounced on Canaan fell on his posterity. Esau’s selling of his birthright, shut out his descendants from the covenant of promise. The children of Moab and Ammon were excluded from the congregation of the Lord forever, because their ancestors opposed the Israelites when they came out of Egypt.”

In fact, anybody who is a parent knows the clear evidence of the sinful condition of man. Nobody has to teach a child to sin. It is the role of the parent to discipline their child to teach them to behave properly. Comedian Bill Cosby observed this in his performance of Bill Cosby: Himself when he spoke if children having “brain damage”

The child is disobedient from day one, not knowing why they do what they do. Proverbs 22:15 tells us that “Folly is bound up in the heart of a child”

Knowing then that Adam’s fallen nature has been passed down to his posterity which consists of ALL humanity, what then is that fallen nature? The Bible answers it in Ephesians 2:1-3-

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience- among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”

The scripture speaks of humanity as being dead in trespasses and sins and by nature children of wrath. We still have choices, but those choices are to live in the passions of our flesh, carrying our the desires of the body and the mind. Our “free choice” is to follow our natural inclinations of fulfilling the desires of the flesh.

This is referred to in theological circles as “Total Depravity”. The Westminster Confession of Faith defines Total Depravity as follows:

“Man, by his fall into a state of sin, hath wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual good accompanying salvation; so as a natural man, being altogether averse from good, and dead in sin, is not able, by his own strength, to convert himself, or to prepare himself thereunto.”

Loraine Boettner describes it further:

“This doctrine of Total Inability, which declares that men are dead in sin, does not mean that all men are equally bad, nor that any man is as bad as he could be, nor that man’s spirit is inactive, and much less does it mean that the body is dead. What it does mean is that since the fall man rests under the curse of sin, that he is actuated by wrong principles, and that he is wholly unable to love God or do anything meriting salvation. His corruption is extensive, but not necessarily intensive.”

In other words, Total Depravity does not mean Utter Depravity. Man is not as wicked as he can possibly be, but that the fall of man affected his entire being, body, soul, mind, intellect, and will. There is no part of man that was untouched by the fall. He is alienated from God and is unable to save himself nor is he able to make Godly choices. His will is free to sin as that is the desire of his heart. He is unable to choose rightly in so far as God is concerned because the inclination of his heart is at enmity to the things of God. He is “dead” in his trespasses and sins. He is in reality, a walking spiritual corpse, with no volition of his own towards God.

Again, this is the clear teaching of scripture. The Bible describes in detail what a spiritual corpse looks like.

John 3:19-20- “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and the people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.”

Romans 8:7- “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.”

I Corinthians 2:14- “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritual discerned.”

Ephesians 4:18-19- “They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.  They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.”

I Corinthians 1:18- “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

Matthew 11:27- “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

II Corinthians 4:3-4- “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case, the god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

Acts 13:41- “Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish; for I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.”

Romans 3:10-18- “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Notice the description of those who are spiritually dead. There is no one who seeks after God. Their minds are darkened. They have been blinded. They are perishing and don’t even know it. It is not a question of permission. They not only have God’s permission to repent and believe the gospel, but they have his command. The problem is one of ability. Because of their fallen nature they do not seek after God. They are unable to understand the gospel it let alone believe it. To them, it is foolishness.

Who then can be saved? That was the question asked by the apostles (Matthew 19:24-26). Christ’s response was simple yet profound. “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” The answer is a sovereign work of God in us. We call this being “born again”. Jesus described it in John 3:3-8.

“Jesus answered him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?’  Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, “You must be born again.” The wind blows where it wishes, you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.’”

It is a radical transformation that God works in us. God promises in Ezekiel 36:26 that “I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” Paul experienced it on the road to Damascus. Though an enemy of Christ, Jesus appeared to him, changed him, and turned him from a persecutor of the church to his apostle to the gentiles.

Just as by one man’s disobedience sin entered into the world, through the obedience of Christ many are made righteous. The punishment for our sinfulness was borne by him and his righteousness was imputed to us. (Isaiah 53, Romans 5) It is through the finished work of Christ that we can be reconciled to God. We who were once dead are made alive in Christ Jesus by God’s grace and appropriated by faith (Ephesians 2). Our reconciliation with God is the gift of God.  He has breathed new life in us, calling us to himself. We have nothing to boast in. There is nothing that we can bring to him or offer him. He has saved us by grace. It is by faith in Jesus and resting on His work for us that we can once again have fellowship with Him. His regeneration of our spirits inspires us to confess our sins and to proclaim our faith and trust in Christ. Romans 6:23 assures us that the “free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

To those who belong to Christ, we are no longer alienated from God. What man lost in the fall has been restored to his sheep. He laid down his life for us and raised us up to new life in Him. And we can be sure that he who began a good work in “us” will bring it completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6). 

If you have felt the quickening of the Holy Spirit within you, listen to the words of the gospel. Christ's work has redeemed you. Believe in the Lord Jesus. Trust on Him and Him alone offering nothing of yourself and you will be saved. As Paul said to the jailer, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household. (Acts 16:31).

Lent Mediation- The Trial of Christ from March 21, 2011

Lent is in full swing and Holy Week is right around the corner. With the Passion Week coming up, I have been contemplating the trial of Jesus. Our Savior stood in four different courts that day before different judges. It is interesting to see that even today Jesus is standing in each of these courts being judged. The question is which court are you standing in? How will you judge Jesus? What is your response to the King of Kings?

Court #1- The Sanhedrin (The Court of the Religious)

57 Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled. 58 But Peter followed him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest. He entered and sat down with the guards to see the outcome. 59 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. 60 But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward 61 and declared, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’” 62 Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” 63 But Jesus remained silent.The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” 64 “You have said so,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 65 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. 66 What do you think?”  “He is worthy of death,” they answered. 67 Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him 68 and said, “Prophesy to us, Messiah. Who hit you?”  - Matthew 26:57-68

The Pharisees and Sadducees thought that they had God all figured out. They knew the Law and wielded it like a club. They enjoyed their power and prestige. They used the Scriptures to manipulate people and exalt themselves. . They had their own preconceived ideas as to the identity of the Messiah. They wanted the Messiah on their own terms, not God’s terms. They thought the Messiah would be a political deliverer who would throw out the Romans and set up God’s kingdom on earth with them as co-rulers. How disappointed they must have been with Jesus.

Jesus came not as a mighty king, but as a humble carpenter. He claimed to be God incarnate, complete with all authority under heaven. He forgave sins, healed the sick, cast out demons, and dwelt with sinners. He exercised humility and called for repentance. This aggravated the religious leaders who saw themselves as holy, approved of God, and above reproach. They held positions of prestige among the people. How could a humble carpenter be the Son of God? They could not fathom it. They didn’t want to fathom it.

When Jesus spoke with the Pharisees and Sadducees, he held up a mirror to their souls. They did not like what they saw. He called them hypocrites. He showed them to be just as sinful as those they looked down upon. At least the tax collectors and prostitutes recognized their sinfulness, repented, and asked for mercy. The religious leaders did no such thing. Jesus called them whitewashed sepulchers, pretty on the outside and decaying on the inside. He did so out of love, that they could see their true sinful condition and repent. A few did, but most rejected this outright. In their anger and pride, they trumped up charges of blasphemy and sought to kill him. Their sentence was death.

In the court of the religious we see people more concerned with their own prestige than a genuine relationship with God. They use the Bible to manipulate and condemn rather than grow in Christ. They turn a blind eye to their own sinfulness, afraid to see the horrific reality in the mirror of their soul. They rationalize and self-justify rather than repent. They seek their own self exaltation rather than an authentic relationship.

To those who see themselves in the court of the religious, I encourage you to look into the mirror of your soul. Humble yourself and seek Christ. He desires an authentic relationship with you. He is calling to you, seeking you. He wants you to know Him. There is no shame in repentance. There is no weakness in acknowledging your dependence upon Him.

Court #2- Herod (The Court of the Scoffers)

 8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform a sign of some sort.9 He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10 The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him. 11 Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate. – Lule 23:8-11

Herod Antipas was a wicked king. He was given jurisdiction of Galilee under Caesar. Having married his brother’s wife, he faced the onslaught of accusations of adultery from John the Baptist. Prodded by his wife, he had John arrested and beheaded him at the whim of his step-daughter after she pleased him with a dance. The words of John haunted Herod, but he valued his political power more. He dealt harshly with John because he feared that John was stirring up the people against him.

The Biblical text says that Herod was eager to meet Jesus because he heard that he had powers. He was only interested in Jesus because he thought he could use him for his own selfish purposes. Perhaps he wanted to have his own court magician to enhance his own power?  What is evident is that he demanded a sign. If Jesus was who he said He was, then let Him prove it! Jesus’ response was silence. He was not going to indulge Herod.

Today we find many who refuse to believe. They demand signs and wonders to validate the existence of God or the truth of the Gospel. “If God is real, why doesn’t he just show himself?” They scoff at the very idea of God. The Gospel is foolishness to them. The very notion of submitting themselves to anything or anyone is repugnant to them.

The reality is that their consciences have been seared. Jesus stated that they have Moses and the prophets. If they do not believe them then they would not believe even if one were to come back from the dead. The same crowd that saw him perform miracles in public and teach with authority would later be calling for His crucifixion. Paul states well in Romans 1 that God HAS made himself know so that all are without excuse, yet they suppress the truth of God in their wickedness. There is no sign or miracle that would convince them.

My prayer for the scoffers is that God will open their eyes that they may see. Let God perform the work of regeneration within them that they may believe. No cleverly designed argument will convince them. No miracle will persuade them. No eloquent sermon will bring them to the cross. It is only a sovereign work of the Holy Spirit in response to the preached Word of God that will quicken their spirits, open their eyes, and bring forth repentance. If there are scoffers in your life, pray for them. Preach the Word to them. Above all, trust that is God and God alone that can reach them.

Court #3- Pilate ( The Court of the Indifferent)

 1 Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, made their plans. So they bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate. 2 “Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate. “You have said so,” Jesus replied. 3 The chief priests accused him of many things. 4 So again Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.” 5 But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed. 6 Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. 7 A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. 8 The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did. 9 “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, 10 knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead. 12 “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them. 13 “Crucify him!” they shouted. 14 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.  But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” 15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.- Mark 15:1-15

Pilate was the Roman governor of Judea. He was responsible for keeping the peace. He had no interest in the internal squabbles of the Jews. Their religion was their business. As long as they remained peaceful, paid their taxes, and remained loyal to Rome, he was content. He may be a good representation of what Francis Schaeffer referred to as “personal peace and affluence.” In other words, “leave me alone to believe whatever I want and don’t hinder me in the accumulation of stuff.”

When presented with Jesus, he was interested in only one thing, was Jesus a threat to Rome. All of his questions were to determine if Jesus was intent on sedition. It was Jesus’ claim to be a king that provided the Sanhedrin the charge they would bring before Pilate. Pilate asked Him point blank, “Are you a king?” In looking at the other Gospel accounts, we see Pilate digging a little deeper, but not too deep. When convinced that Jesus had no earthly ambitions, he decided to let Him go. After further prodding by the Sanhedrin, he chose to present Jesus to the crowd, convinced that the crowd would choose their “king” over the criminal Barabbas. When the crowd chose the criminal, he acceded to their wishes and had Jesus crucified. He didn’t really care that much at all. What was one more Jew? He condemned men to death routinely. Jesus just didn’t really matter to him in the grand scheme of things. It was what was needed to keep the peace.

There are so many today who simply don’t think of Jesus at all. Religion is a matter of personal taste, like choosing chocolate over vanilla. We live in a pluralistic society after all and one person’s religion is just as good as another person’s in the eyes of many. When they hear the Gospel their response seems to be, “Oh. That’s nice. I am so glad that it works for you, but its not for me.” Their feeling towards Jesus is indifference. If Christianity were to die and disappear from the face of the earth, it would make no difference to them. It would just be one more idea on the ash heap of history.

Jesus stated in Luke 11:23 that “whoever is not with me is against me”. There is no neutrality with Christ. There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. The Gospel call goes out to all men. It is important for the indifferent to realize that a Christian has an ultimate commitment. It infects everything he does, every thing he believes, everything he values. The indifferent are calling for Christians to set aside their “religion” when in the Public Square. You might as well ask them to set aside their gender or ethnicity. The Christian faith defines who we are in all aspects of our lives. Our faith is not just one spoke on our wheel with ourselves as the hub, but rather Christ is the hub to which all other spokes tie in. We must resist the calls to be indifferent and recognize that it is Christ that defines us.

Court #4- The Father (The Court of Heaven)

 34 While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.”

 –Luke 9:34-35

All that Jesus did pleased God. God’s judgment on his Son was pleasure…and yet the day of trials was not done. Jesus moved from the court of the Sanhedrin to the court of Herod to the court of Pilate to the cross. God was not done. The scriptures spoke extensively of this moment.

Isaiah 53

 1 Who has believed our message 

   and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 

2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, 

   and like a root out of dry ground. 

He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, 

   nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 

3 He was despised and rejected by mankind, 

   a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. 

Like one from whom people hide their faces 

   he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

 4 Surely he took up our pain 

   and bore our suffering, 

yet we considered him punished by God, 

   stricken by him, and afflicted. 

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, 

   he was crushed for our iniquities; 

the punishment that brought us peace was on him, 

   and by his wounds we are healed. 

6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, 

   each of us has turned to our own way; 

and the LORD has laid on him 

   the iniquity of us all.

 7 He was oppressed and afflicted, 

   yet he did not open his mouth; 

he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, 

   and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, 

   so he did not open his mouth. 

8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. 

   Yet who of his generation protested? 

For he was cut off from the land of the living; 

   for the transgression of my people he was punished.

9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, 

   and with the rich in his death, 

though he had done no violence, 

   nor was any deceit in his mouth.

 10 Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, 

   and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin, 

he will see his offspring and prolong his days, 

   and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. 

11 After he has suffered, 

   he will see the light of life and be satisfied; 

by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, 

   and he will bear their iniquities. 

12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,

   and he will divide the spoils with the strong,

because he poured out his life unto death, 

   and was numbered with the transgressors. 

For he bore the sin of many, 

   and made intercession for the transgressors.

Jesus hung on that cross, bearing the full weight of our sins. All of God’s wrath was poured out upon Him. The judgment that we so richly deserved was passed upon God’s only Son. We should have been crucified. We should have bourn God’s wrath. We should have felt the abandonment of God. Yet it pleased God to pour out his wrath upon his only Son. It was his plan from the beginning. The Son, having never known anything other than the intimate love and presence of His Father, now finds Himself abandoned, alone, bearing the sins of the world.

Still, this is not the end. Three days later, Christ is raised from among the corpses. He is risen and lives. God’s approval is upon Him. He was obedient, even until death upon the cross. God has now highly exalted Him above all names that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord! The verdict from the court of Heaven is that “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased!”

It is the message of the cross that we preach. It is foolishness to those who are perishing, but those who believe it is the power of God. It is life. It is the Gospel.

The Gospel message is simple, but not easy. We were created to worship and have fellowship with God. By one man’s disobedience sin came into the world. We have ALL sinned and fall short of God’s standard. The punishment for our disobedience is death. We deserve the full wrath of God. Because of His mercy and love, God satisfied his justice by sending His Son to suffer His wrath in our place, in order that all who trust and believe upon Him would not perish, but have eternal life. His righteousness has been credited to those who believe as righteousness. God’s Holy Spirit has and will regenerate the spirits of many that they may believe and enjoy fellowship with God. And in this fellowship he will perform the work of sanctification in us, helping us daily to be conformed to the image of Christ. We will be joined with Christ in eternity as His Bride, forever enjoying fellowship with God as we were designed to do.

Christ faced God’s wrath, and in doing so was approved by His Father. Glory be to His name!

The Reigning American Idol..."God to Me" from March 9, 2009

David Cook is the reigning American Idol. I know this because I am an American Idol addict. I love this show. However, there is another American Idol that has been reigning across this country for many years. This idol is “God to me”. 

I was reminded of this when my teenage stepson said to me that, “I only have to listen to you when you are right.” In typical teenage fashion, this did not mean that I as a parent was being held to God’s standard as revealed in his Word. This meant that what is right or wrong was subject to his own whims and opinions. If he disagreed with me, he wouldn’t listen because he didn’t feel like it. Needless to say, he is in for a rude awakening when he gets out into the real world. 

Unfortunately, this is so much of what our current culture says. People like to believe in God, but it is not the God who has revealed himself in holy writ. He is “God to me.” This idol takes many forms. He is a loving God, because we like the idea of a God who loves. He is interested in justice, just as long as he doesn’t judge MY sin. God to me would NEVER send someone to hell. The list goes on and on. The funny thing is, if you ask them how they arrived at their picture of who God is, it ultimately comes down to…that is the kind of God I want to believe in. The difference between the Christian and the non-Christian is that the Christian starts with a God who has revealed himself. The Christian looks to the self revelation of God in Jesus Christ as recorded and revealed in the Bible. It is this image of God that we accept and submit to. The unbeliever starts not with a God who has revealed himself, but with a deity who is created in his own image. The non-Christian starts with their own ideas of what kind of god they would like and create him (or her) from the eclectic ala carte of their own culture and personal preferences.

Contrast this with the words from Proverbs 3:5-8

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
It will be healing to your flesh 
and refreshment to your bones.

Proverbs warns us NOT to lean on our own understanding. We are NOT to be wise in our own eyes. Our obligation is to acknowledge God not for who we want him to be, but rather submit ourselves to who he has revealed himself to be. Our standard of wisdom, morality, conduct, and ontology (that means “what is or exists”) lies outside of ourselves. It is not subject to our opinion. It is what God has said it is. The Christian submits to what is. The non-Christian projects what he wishes to be.

Francis Schaeffer spoke of this in his book How Shall We Then Live. He wrote, 

“…the gods in Greek and Roman thinking were like the men and women larger than life, but not basically different from human men and women…The gods were amplified humanity, not divinity…they did not have anything big enough or permanent enough to which to relate either their thinking or their being…All their gods put together could not give them a sufficient base for life, morals, values, and final decisions. These gods depended on the society which had made them, and when the society collapsed the gods tumbled with it.”

Isaiah himself saw the foolishness of idolatry.

"All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame. Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing? Behold, all his companions shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen are only human. Let them all assemble, let them stand forth. They shall be terrified; they shall be put to shame together.

The ironsmith takes a cutting tool and works it over the coals. He fashions it with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint. The carpenter stretches a line; he marks it out with a pencil. He shapes it with planes and marks it with a compass. He shapes it into the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house. He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it. Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, “Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!” And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!”

They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, “Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?” He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?” (Is 44:9-20)"

Here you see the craftsman who uses tools and raw materials to fashion gods for himself, yet uses part of the materials to feed himself and keep warm. He works by the sweat of his brow and fashions an image, only to fall down and worship it. It has eyes that can not see, ears that can not hear, a mouth that can not speak, and legs than can not move. It has no will of its own and makes no demands on his worshipers other than the demands they place upon themselves. How much is this like to today. No one stops to think! We create a god in our own image, to help us resolve the problem that is in our own image. We are sinful and fallen. No one is righteous. No one seeks after God (Rom 3:11) And yet we fashion a god in our own image because we refuse to submit to a God to whom we owe allegiance and submission. We have created our new god…”God to me.”

Sadly, this is not just a problem outside the church. Even inside the church we have fallen into the trap. John Piper spoke of this at the 2007 Ligonier National Conference in his message “Faith and Reason.”

“What does faith receive in order to be justifying faith? The answer, of course, is that faith receives Jesus Christ. “Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). “To all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). Faith saves because it receives Christ. 
But we must make clear what this actually means, because there are so many people who say they have received Christ and believed on Christ, who give little or no evidence that they are spiritually alive. They are unresponsive to the spiritual beauty of Jesus. They are unmoved by the glory of Christ. They don’t have the spirit of the apostle Paul when he said, “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). This is not their spirit, yet they say they have received Christ. 

One way to describe this problem is to say that when these people “receive Christ,” they do not receive him as supremely valuable. They receive him simply as sin-forgiver (because they love being guilt-free), and as rescuer-from-hell (because they love being pain-free), and as healer (because they love being disease-free), and as protector (because they love being safe), and as prosperity-giver (because they love being wealthy), and as Creator (because they want a personal universe), and as Lord of history (because they want order and purpose); but they don’t receive him as supremely and personally valuable for who he is. They don’t receive him as he really is—more glorious, more beautiful, more wonderful, more satisfying, than everything else in the universe. They don’t prize him or treasure him or cherish him or delight in him. 

Or to say it another way, they “receive Christ” in a way that requires no change in human nature. You don’t have to be born again to love being guilt-free and pain-free and disease-free and safe and wealthy. All natural men without any spiritual life love these things. But to embrace Jesus as your supreme treasure requires a new nature. No one does this naturally. You must be born again (John 3:3). You must be a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15). You must be made spiritually alive (Ephesians 2:1-4). 

Therefore, saving faith is a receiving of Christ for who he really is and what he really is, namely, more glorious, more wonderful, more satisfying, and therefore more valuable than anything thing in the universe. Saving faith says, “I receive you as my Savior, my Lord, my supreme Treasure; and I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” Which is why Jesus said, “Therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33). And again, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37). And again, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” (Matthew 13:44).” 

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/ConferenceMessages/ByDate/2016_Faith_and_Reason/

“God to me” is the true American Idol. It is what we confront on a daily basis. As we share our faith, we must be careful to present a full gospel message. It is not a message that says simply believe in Christ. It says to believe in Christ as He has revealed Himself. Sacrifice yourself. This is the end of you as an autonomous individual. You must now submit yourself to a God who has revealed himself. You may no longer define who God is, but rather you must surrender to the God who has revealed himself. And yet, this is a joyful surrender. This is a joyful sacrifice, for Christ is our supreme treasure. In fact, He is most glorified in us as we are most satisfied in Him. It is not enough just to believe in Him, but we are to love him above all else. We can’t wait to spend eternity sitting at his feet and hearing his wisdom and singing his praises. 

And so, I say to my son…”Hear the true wisdom from the scriptures. Do not be foolish and set yourself up as the final arbiter of what is right and wrong. Submit yourself to the teaching of our Lord. Do not violate God’s laws and say that you did nothing wrong. Your pride will lead you to destruction, but if you humble yourself and submit to God’s instruction He will exalt you. The Bible is not an ala carte buffet that you can pick and choose what you like. If you would follow the Lord, do so with all your heart. Be more in love with Jesus than anything else. I am not perfect, but I would hope and pray that if I 
stray from God’s law, that his reproof would lead me not to defiance, but repentance and remorse. Do not fall into this cultural trap of worshiping God to me. Listen to who God has revealed Himself to be."