Extreme Theology

I Am Not Worthy To Have You Come Under My Roof

A Meditation on Luke 7:1-10

Luke 7:1   After he [Jesus] had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. 2 Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. 3 When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, 5 for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.” 6 And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. 7 Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. 8 For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 9 When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” 10 And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well.

In this passage we are introduced to a Roman Centurion whose highly valued slave had come down with a deadly illness. The passage doesn't tell us whether it was the Swine Flu, a bacterial infection or a cancer that had invaded the servant’s body. The text only tells us that this valued slave had become mortally ill.

Its not hard to imagine the series of events that led up to this encounter with Jesus. We all know how this story begins because all of us at one time or another have suffered from a bad flu or virus and have been temporarily robbed of our ability to function in our daily vocations. The backstory here is simple. A few days or weeks prior to this encounter with Jesus this slave was going about his daily work and serving his master when he felt "that feeling" in his body that told him that something wasn't right. Maybe he ignored it for a few days hoping that it would go away and that things would get better.

Slaves had to work through their illnesses because slaves didn't get days off. Slaves didn't have simple nine to five jobs. Their work began at sun up and rarely ended when the sun set. The work was back breaking, dirty, difficult and monotonous. Slaves didn't have a union to protect them. Slaves weren't employees they were property.

As the disease ran its course, this slave's productivity slowed and finally stopped. Robbed of his ability to work, stand and eat and probably robbed of his consciousness, it was clear that Death was stalking this slave like a lion stalks its prey. Death had already cut this man from the herd and had taken its first bite. This slave was mortally wounded and the only thing left for Death to do was to choose the moment for the kill. There was nothing anyone could do to stop Death from taking its prize because no one had authority over Death.

Those who cared for this slave during his illness may have been secretly thinking that as terrible and terrifying as Death was, that rather than being a monster maybe Death was in reality a welcomed friend. Death after all, meant release and freedom from the cruel bonds of slavery, while recovery meant an undetermined number of future years of forced labor and the humiliation of being someone else's property. The only problem with this idea is that we have no idea where Death takes it victims. We'd like to imagine that death takes those whom it devours off to a place of bliss and happiness. But in the back of our minds we've all heard stories about eternal places of torment, a lake of fire, a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth a horrible place where the worm does not die and the fire is never quenched.

But let us not think about such things right now. Let us instead look more closely at this beautiful Gospel story.

The evangelist has also revealed for us some important information about this slave's master. Dr. Luke tells us that that this Roman soldier, rather than being cruel and dictatorial instead acted in kindness and generosity toward the people of Capernaun. As a result, he had earned their respect and admiration.

This Roman Centurion wasn't your stereotypical cruel occupation style soldier. Rather than stealing from the people of Capernaum and setting up his own mafia-like protection racket (which is exactly what many Roman Soldiers did) he instead reached out in love and kindness to the towns folk of Capernaum even to the point of personal sacrifice. His generosity staggers the imagination. This Soldier, an agent of that hated, pagan and idolatrous Roman empire, personally bankrolled and built the synagogue in Capernaum. Just the thought of it makes you realize that this man was one of those rare human beings that made a difference in the world through reckless love and random acts of kindness.

By every standard of human goodness this Roman Soldier was not only a good man, he was a saint.

When the religious leaders of Capernaum heard that this Centurion's slave was mortally ill, they probably saw and felt the genuine fear and concern that this soldier had for his valued servant. This Centurion wasn't worried about losing his valued property and having to go through the inconvenience of purchasing and training another slave. No, he was genuinely concerned for this slave's well-being and he grieved over his powerlessness to save him.

Imagine how difficult that must have been for this Centurion. We learn from the text that he was a man with authority and power and that authority was granted to him from the world's most powerful empire. When he told people to jump they would dutifully ask "how high".

But this time he had no authority, he had no leverage, he had no power. Even worse, the pending death of his servant painfully reminded him that, like his slave, he would someday be on his death bed too.

Death is no respecter of persons. Death comes for slave and master alike and both are powerless in Death's grip. No human being that has ever lived has ever exercised authority over Death.

Enter Jesus.

The scuttlebutt in Capernaum that day was that Jesus was nearby and that He might even come into town. Everyone had heard of Jesus. This man was a prophet like no other. God listened to Jesus and Jesus was mighty in word and deed. The Centurion thought that maybe Jesus would see his worthiness and would grant him a miracle by sparing the life of his beloved servant. The soldier thought that surely his kindness and personal sacrifice toward the people of Capernaum had earned him something from God. He imagined that he might actually have some authority that he could exercise in this situation. After all, he was a good man and had earned a reward or two from God. All he had to do was remind God of what he had earned and call it in. He had God over a barrel. God owed him. It was time to remind God of his debt and demand that he pay up.

The Centurion quickly concocted a plan and a strategy for winning this battle against Death. It was a simple and flawless plan and all he had to do was exercise his authority over God through Jesus. He sent a messenger to the religious leaders and summoned them to his home. When they arrived he reminded the synagogue leaders of his kindness and generosity to them and then sent them to Jesus to convince Jesus of his worthiness to receive a miracle. Like dutiful messengers the religious leaders obeyed the Centurion and went to Jesus and delivered the Centurion's message.

The message was simple.

This Centurion was a good man because of his deeds and therefore he has earned a miracle from God. The Centurion was worthy. Therefore, come at once to his home and pay up. Give this Centurion the reward he has earned for his good works.

The religious leaders delivered this message and shockingly Jesus like a dutiful slave, like one who came to serve rather than be served, obeyed the Centurion’s summon.

The plan had worked. Jesus was coming to his home. He was worthy. God did owe him one and God was paying up.

But wait...something about the Centurion’s plan wasn’t right. Something was “off” and he knew it.

The Centurion paused and reflected on the situation and the more he thought about it the more he realized that his self-righteous algebra wasn't adding up. It turns out that he had grossly miscalculated his worthiness.

Upon further reflection he realized that his kindness to the people of Capernaum could not out weigh and overcome his sinfulness and wickedness. While stationed in Capernaum he had heard the Torah and the learned the ten commandments from the synagogue leaders. He knew that he did not love God with all of his heart, he knew that he was an idolator, a liar, a blasphemer, a thief and a coveter. He had taken men’s lives and lusted after the girls in the village. Compared to other Roman soldiers he might have seemed like a “good man” but when he compared his life to the mosaic law that was taught in the synagogue that he had built it was painfully clear that he was a miserable and wretched sinner.

His hastily concocted plan to convince Jesus that he was ‘worthy’ to receive a miracle was preposterous! The Centurion also knew that the good works that he had performed were not motivated by pure selflessness and love for God. In fact, some of his good deeds were motivated by political expediency and the belief that happy Roman subjects won’t slit your throat in the middle of the night. Building a synagogue was a small price to pay for peace of mind. Some of his other good works were done in order to silence his conscience. None of them were motivated from a pure heart. Knowing this fact made his good works seem dirty and polluted. All of his good deeds were like filthy stinking menstrual rags.

What was he thinking by telling Jesus that he was worthy to receive this miracle?! He wasn’t worthy! He was a sinner! His plan had to be stopped and it had to be stopped before Jesus arrived!

The Centurion’s eyes welled with tears as the sorrow for his sins washed over him. But he had no time to weep. He had to act quickly! He found some friends, not servants but friends, and hastily begged his friends to find Jesus and stop him from coming to his home.

“When you find Jesus tell him ‘Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof’”, the Centurion pleaded with his friends. “Please tell Jesus that “Because of my unworthiness, I dare not presume to enter your Holy presence. But please be merciful for the sake of my servant, please just speak the word and he will be healed. I have no authority over Death but I believe that you do. As a man under authority with soldiers under me: I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

“Now run! Stop Jesus and please tell Him these words”, the Centurion pleaded with his friends.

The Centurion’s friends, ran with haste and found Jesus just as he was turning the corner. The friends delivered the Centurion’s confession of his sinfulness and unworthiness and they also delivered the Centurion’s prayer of petition for his mortally ill servant.

And good Dr. Luke tells us that Jesus Christ marveled at what He heard.

Jesus did not marvel at the Centurion’s paltry good works and so-called worthiness. No, Jesus marveled at the Centurion’s faith. The Centurion had repented of his sins and confessed his unworthiness to the only one who could forgive sins and Jesus the Centurion’s merciful and forgiving savior also answered his humble prayer on behalf of his servant and spoke the word and the servant was healed.

"For he who exalts himself with be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

On that day Death was robbed of its prey and had to slink away hungry. Someone more powerful than Death had arrived and His Name is Jesus.

Jesus had authority over Death and He exercised that authority with a simple word. Death would eventually meet Jesus face to face on a Roman Cross outside the city gates of Jerusalem. But Death would lose that battle also and as a result of Jesus’ victory, Death has lost the war and Jesus proclaims that He is the resurrection and the life. Whoever has the same faith as this Roman Centurion, even though he dies, yet shall he live.

That day in Capernaum the Centurion understood what it was like to have his sins forgiven and He, like the Apostle Paul could say that he considered all of his good works to be like rubbish and count them for loss in order that he might gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of his own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.

Discernment is About Warning People that They Are Going the Wrong Way

I engage in discernment because of my deep conviction that many many many pastors are heading the wrong way.

For the most part, I don't get bent out of shape about methods or styles. Instead, for me the real issue is the substance of the gospel and doctrine (or lack thereof) being preached from today's pulpits.

What always amazes me is that many people misinterpret the Biblical critiques and warnings that I am offering as nothing more than me criticizing churches for not subscribing to the same methods and styles that I personally prefer. Nothing could be further from the truth. I believe that the Biblical gospel allows for freedom and latitude when it comes to methods and styles. However, the Biblical gospel does not offer freedom and latitude when it comes to the substance of the message to be delivered.

Those who scratch their heads and cannot understand why I would take so much time correcting, rebuking and warning against false teaching are just like John Candy and Steve Martin in the movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles. At one point in the story John Candy inadvertently drives onto the wrong side of a highway. A couple in another vehicle correctly discern the problem and do everything that they can to warn Candy and Martin of their pending doom. But to no avail.

The truth that Candy and Martin had to come to grips with in order to repent (change direction) is the one thing that they refused to believe was even possible. This truth was the fact that they were heading the wrong way. Rather than listening to those who had correctly discerned the danger they were in and were warning them, Candy and Martin thought their "critics" were crazy or drunk.

The problem with the majority of Seeker-Driven churches is not that they send out marketing materials, or that their worship utilizes a 'rock band style' or that the pastor wears kewl trendy clothing. The problem is that when you analyze the content of their sermons, as I do day after day on my radio program, you find that they have compromised the message of the Gospel and twist God's word in an effort to craft messages that so-called seekers would find useful.

Don't believe me? Listen to my radio program and the sermon reviews that I offer on a daily basis and you'll see that many many many of these churches are 'heading the wrong way'. Out of shear love and concern for the people in these churches I must do what I can to help them see the danger they are in. The truck that they are heading toward is nothing less than the coming wrath of God.

The Current State of the Church

Boecomic.com

The Main Problem Churches Face Today

The "main problem churches face is not that they are culturally out of touch, but that they are theologically out of tune."

Pastor Tullian Tchividjian

Do You Have Free Will to Love God and Love Your Neighbor?

Many of these new Seeker-Driven churches ape the practices of the corporate world and have created their own mission and vision statements¹. I've noticed a trend among these churches, that trend being the fact many of these new fangled mission and visions statement are nothing other than a two point summary of the Mosaic law, "Love God and Love People". As a result of their mission and vision focus on fulfilling the law² rather than the great commission the sermons preached in these churches amount to nothing more than tips, principles and advice for "loving God and loving people". But, there is just one problem...they're not preaching the obedience that flows from faith in Jesus Christ as a fruit of a faith that abides in Jesus Christ and tenaciously clings to Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. No. Instead, they preach nothing but raw naked man-powered obedience. When you add into this equation the fact that the vast majority of these churches deny the doctrine of total depravity by ascribing to mankind the ability to exercise free will in making a decision for God then you've no choice but to conclude that the vast majority of these Seeker-Driven churches are really nothing more than bacterial breeding grounds for one of the most pernicious doctrinal diseases known to the Church, the Pelegian Heresy.

In ancient times the Church battled this heresy and God graciously provided men who contended for the faith and overcame this stubborn doctrinal infection. The man most famous in proclaiming the cure for the Pelegian cancer was St. Augustine. His work, On Nature and Grace should be required reading for any Christian scholar or layman that seeks to participate in helping to cure those infected by Pelegianism.

In Chapter 47 of On Nature and Grace, Augustine writes:

“If natural capacity with the help of free will is in itself sufficient both for learning how one ought to live and for leading a holy life, then Christ died for nothing (Gal. 2:21), and then the scandal of the cross (Gal. 5:11) has been removed. Why should I also not cry out here? Yes, with a Christian’s sorrow I will cry out and I will chide them: ‘You who want to be justified by nature have cut yourselves off from Christ; you have fallen away from grace’ (Gal. 5:4); for ‘being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish your own, you have not submitted to God’s righteousness’ (Rom. 10:3). For just as Christ is the ‘end of the law,’ so Christ is the Savior of corrupted human nature, for the righteousness to ‘all who believe’ (Rom. 10:4).”

Another work that will greatly aid those wishing to join this battle is Article IV of the Apology of the Augsburg Confession. This work is both edifying and lucid in its defense of the chief article of the Christian faith, Salvation by Grace Through Faith. Regarding whether or not man has a natural capacity to 'love God and love people' Philip Melancthon writes:

And John 8:36 says, “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” Therefore reason cannot free us from sins and merit the forgiveness of sins. And in John 3:5 it is written, “No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.” But if we must be born anew through the Holy Spirit, then the righteousness of reason does not justify us before God; it does not keep the law. And Romans 3:23 says: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” that is, they lack the wisdom and righteousness of God, which acknowledges and glorifies God. Again Romans 8:7–8, “The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” These witnesses are so clear that, to use the words of Augustine as he used them in discussing this case, they do not require an acute intellect, only attentive listening.

If the mind set on the flesh is hostile to God, the flesh certainly does not love God. If it cannot submit to the law of God, it cannot love God. If the mind set on the flesh is hostile to God, the flesh sins even when we perform outward civil works. If it cannot submit to the law of God, it certainly sins even when we perform works that are excellent and praiseworthy in human eyes. The opponents consider only the commandments of the second table, which entail the civil righteousness that reason understands. Being content with this they suppose that they satisfy the law of God. Meanwhile they fail to notice the first table, which instructs us to love God, to conclude that God is angry with sin, truly to fear God, truly to conclude that God hears our prayers. But without the Holy Spirit the human heart either despises the judgment of God in its complacency or in the face of punishment flees and hates God who judges them. Thus it does not obey the first table. Therefore since these things (contempt for God, doubt about the Word of God and about its threats and promises) cling to human nature, people truly sin even when they do respectable works without the Holy Spirit, because they do them with a godless heart, according to the text Rom. 14:23, “Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” Such people perform their works with contempt for God, just as when Epicurus did not think that God cared for him, paid attention to him, or heard his prayer. This contempt for God corrupts works that appear to be honorable, because God judges the heart.

My advice...study and show yourself approved and get into the fight. There are hundreds of thousands, if not millions infected with the Pelegian disease who need the Righteousness of Christ.

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1. This makes you wonder how on earth the Church has survived for millennia without Mission and Vision statements? Laying all sarcasm aside, The Church already has a mission and vision statement given by Jesus Christ. They are "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you" (Matt 28:19-20) and "repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem (Luke 24:47). No true Christian Church has the freedom to supplant Jesus' stated mission and vision statements with their own home brewed versions.

2. The Gospel is NOT "Love God and Love Neighbor" that is plain and simply the summary of the Mosaic Law (Matt 22:35-39) and no one can be saved through the law (Rom 3:20). The Gospel on the other hand is the good news, that "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us". Christianity does not offer us a regimen whereby we morally improve ourselves and earn browny points with God. Instead, Christ's perfect righteousness is imputed to us by faith.

The False of Assumption of Decisional Evangelism

Old School evangelists would use the threats of hell fire and brimstone and God's wrath to convince their hearers to 'make a decision to accept Jesus into their hearts'.

New School evangelists (Seeker-Driven Pastors) don't like the negativity of discussing hell and sin and have found that they can convince large numbers of post-modern listeners to make a 'decision to accept Jesus into their hearts' by convincing them that Jesus will help them experience a more satisfying life.

Both of these types of evangelists are in serious error because NO ONE is born again by accepting Jesus into their hearts so that they escape hell or so that they can experience an abundant and satisfying life.

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Here is what God's Word says. (Pay attention to who is doing the deciding in all of these verses).

John 1:9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own peopledid not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of a human decision nor of the will of man, but of God.

John 3:3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 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?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

1Pet. 1:3   Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

John 6:43   “Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. 44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 6:61   Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. 64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65 He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him.”

Acts 2:45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Acts 16:13 And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. 14 One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.

Heb. 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith

Why is it that we can't make a decision to Accept Jesus into our hearts? Answer: because we are by nature DEAD in trespasses and sins.

Eph. 2:1   And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 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— 3 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.

This dead condition is truly spiritual deadness. Just as dead people cannot make a decision to make their condition better, spiritually dead human beings cannot make a decision to improve their spiritually dead condition.

Romans 8:6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 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. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

No sinful human being, seeks God! He seeks them!

Rom. 3:9   What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” 13 “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” 14 “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 in their paths are ruin and misery, 17 and the way of peace they have not known.” 18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

So then how does saving faith come?

Rom. 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Luke 24:46 and [Jesus] said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things.

In fact saving faith itself is a GIFT from God. (notice in verse 10 whose workmanship we are)

Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship...

Conclusion: if an evangelist is not preaching repentance of sins and the forgiveness of sins in Jesus name (aka the word of Christ) then he is not preaching a message that God will use to impart the gifts of repentance, faith and peace with God through the forgiveness of sins in Jesus' name.

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Note: Please don't quote Revelation 3:20 to me in the comments section of this post. Go back and Read Revelation 3:20 in context and you'll discover this is not about a person letting Jesus into their hearts. It's about Jesus knocking on the door of a church that has shut him out.

The More Things Change the More They Stay the Same

At the time of the Reformation there was a stable full of 'Scholastic' preachers in the Roman Catholic church. These priests knew NOTHING about the Biblical Gospel of Salvation by Grace through the imputed righteousness of Christ and His vicarious death on the cross for sins. Instead, they understood 'civic righteousness'. This is the type of righteousness that teaches you how to be a more upstanding and successful citizen of Earth. In the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Philip Melanchthon writes about these scholastic preachers. Pay close attention to what he says and you'll see that the exact same problem exists in Evangelicalism today. We currently are plagued with preachers who preach 'civic righteousness' and call it The Abundant Life or the Changed Life. But, rather than preaching Aristotle, after all he's fallen from vogue, these new Evangelical gurus preach the self-help principles of Anthony Robins, Oprah, and Dr. Phil. Here's what Melancthon had to say on the matter:

Here the scholastics in line with the philosophers teach only the righteousness of reason, namely, civil works. In addition, they fabricate the idea that reason, without the Holy Spirit, can love God above all things. Now as long as the human mind is undisturbed and does not feel God’s wrath or judgment, it can imagine that it wants to love God and that it wants to do good for God’s sake. In this way the scholastics teach that people merit the forgiveness of sins by “doing what is within them,” that is, whenever reason, while grieving over sin, elicits an act of love for God or does good for God’s sake. Because this opinion naturally flatters people, it has brought forth and multiplied many kinds of worship in the church, like monastic vows and abuses of the Mass. On the basis of this opinion some devised some types, others other types of devotional acts or observances. And in order to nourish and increase trust in such works, the scholastics have asserted that God necessarily gives grace to those who do these things, by a necessity not of coercion but of unchanging order.

Many great and destructive errors, which would take too long to enumerate, lurk behind this opinion. But let the discerning reader consider only this: if this is Christian righteousness, what is the difference between philosophy and the teaching of Christ? If we merit the forgiveness of sins by these elicited acts of ours, what does Christ provide? If we can be justified through reason and the works of reason, why do we need Christ or regeneration? As a result of these opinions, the matter has degenerated to such an extent that many ridicule us for teaching that we must seek another righteousness beyond that offered by philosophy. We have heard of some who, having laid aside the gospel, expound on the Ethics of Aristotle in their sermons. And indeed they should, if the things that the opponents defend are true. After all, Aristotle wrote so eruditely about social ethics that nothing further needs to be added. We also see that there are books that compare certain teachings of Christ with the teachings of Socrates, Zeno, and others, as though Christ had come to bring certain kinds of laws through which we merit the forgiveness of sins rather than receiving it freely on account of his merits. So if we accept the opponents’ doctrine that we merit the forgiveness of sins and justification by the works of reason, there will indeed be no difference between philosophical—or at least Pharisaic—righteousness and Christian righteousness.

-- Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article IV: Justification

Chesterton on evil and skinning a cat

If it be true (as it certainly is) that a man can feel exquisite happiness in skinning a cat, then the religious philosopher can only draw one of two deductions. He must either deny the existence of God, as all atheists do; or he must deny the present union between God and man, as all Christians do. The new theologians seem to think it a highly rationalistic solution to deny the cat.

-- G.K Chesterton, Orthodoxy

What Makes a Church or Church Body Orthodox?

What makes a Church or Church Body Orthodox? Is it their officially posted statement of belief viewable on their website, OR is what they teach from the pulpit?

Francis Pieper, A Lutheran Theologian answers this question bluntly and correctly.

With regard to the orthodox character of a church body note well:

(1) A church body is orthodox only if the true doctrine¹...is actually taught in its pulpits and its publications and not merely “officially” professed as its faith. Not the “official” doctrine, but the actual teaching determines the character of a church body, because Christ enjoins that all things whatsoever He has commanded His disciples should actually be taught and not merely acknowledged in an “official document” as the correct doctrine. It is patent that faith in Christ will be created and preserved through the pure Gospel only when that Gospel is really proclaimed.

(2) A church body does not forfeit its orthodox character by reason of the casual intrusion of false doctrine. The thing which the Apostle Paul told the elders of Ephesus: “Also of your own selves shall men arise speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them” (Acts 20:30), came true not only in the Apostolic Church, but also in the Church of the Reformation and will occur in the Church to the Last Day. a church body loses its orthodoxy only when it no longer applies Rom. 16:17, hence does not combat and eventually remove the false doctrine, but tolerates it without reproof and thus actually grants it equal right with the truth. (Emphasis Added)

Rom. 16:17   I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them.

Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, Vol. III (St. Louis: Concordia, 1950) 423.

[Note: I've edited the quote so that the truth of it can be appreciated by a non-lutheran audience.]

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1. Pieper and all confessional Lutherans define 'true doctrine' based upon the Augsburg Confession's and Book of Concord's summaries of sound Christian Biblical teaching.

HT: Stand Firm

Re-imagining God in the Shack

Mary Kassian a member of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood and the founder of Girls Gone Wise has a thought provoking critique of The Shack written from a woman's perspective. Said Kassian:

The Shack contains terribly wrong concepts about God. Plain and simple. If you think it doesn’t, then you’re well on your way to accepting the image of the Christa on the cross. In a few years, you’ll be hanging her up in your church. I don’t think I’m overstating the case. In my book I’ve carefully documented the way it happened in mainline churches. The arguments used to justify their feminist Christa are the same ones the Shack uses to justify its feminized version of God. In essence, there’s no difference between the artistic image of a feminized Jesus (a.k.a. “Sophia”) hanging on a cross and the artistic image of a feminized Aunt Jemima Papa god in a book. If the latter doesn’t offend you, then the former really shouldn’t.

I’ve had good friends tell me that I’m missing the point of the Shack. Maybe I am. But maybe, just maybe, they are. Maybe they are getting caught up in the emotion of a heart-wrenching story and are failing to notice the horrendous theology that under girds it. The authors claim that “at its core the book is one long Bible Study.” This isn’t an ordinary story book. It’s a book that seeks to transform people’s ideas about God. The fiction is merely a vehicle for the theology.

How we image God matters. So the image of God the book presents matters. It matters a great deal. I seem to recall that God wasn’t terribly amused when his people imaged him in the wrong way, as a golden calf. If you’re not convinced that we should refrain from imaging God as female, and are interested in understanding more about the feminist theology rampant in the Shack, check into my book, The Feminist Mistake. If you take the time to understand the impact that feminism has had on society and church, then maybe you’ll understand my distaste for the Shack’s feminine god rendition.

Click Here to Read the Rest of Kassian's Review