A Review of Shrink: Faithful Ministry in a Church-Growth Culture

Recently, I have been binging on several different books about "how to do church." Many popular books give you a model to copy. For example, Sticky Church is very popular and essentially argues sermon based small groups is the solution for your ministry. I still think the exception in recent years is Tim Keller's Center Church which bridges the gap between theologically heavy books and practical models. My shift has been to read outside of the sort of "young, restless, and reformed crowd." Scot McKnight's blog is largely to blame for exposing me to voices I don't normally encounter much (http://www.patheos.com/blogs/jesuscreed/). I think in general the questions I have are What is it that the church ought to always do no matter what? How can I be faithful and not fall into the temptations of wanting bigger, better, and more exposure in a celebrity culture?

First, I read Slow Church which basically tried to take the slow food movement as an analogy for church. It essentially argued for a holistic community that reflected the local terrior and was against cookie cutter models and "franchise church." Thats all good. I just felt the analogy was too stretched and they didn't make an argument that was theologically robust enough for me.

Because Slow Church was endorsed by the authors of Shrink and vice versa I did expect much. But it turns out Shrink: Faithful Ministry in a Church-Growth Culture was a much better book. These books follow the clarion call of Eugene Peterson that what matters in ministry is faithfulness not success or effectiveness. (Keller like always does yes/no both/and middle way and says "fruitfulness" is the Biblical metaphor).

Shrink is highly critical of megachurch models that doesn't sufficiently challenge cultural idols. But instead embraces American ideals of pragmatism, techniques, and thinks success in the kingdom is equal to a bigger and better ministry. Suttle makes a great point that I often wonder about, something is wrong when the only Pastors who speak at conferences and have their books published have huge churches, as if all the pastors of smaller churches have nothing good to say. The book is divided into three parts. 1) How are attempts to be great undermine the call to be good.  2) How we need to have a robust theology of the church with stories and virtues not models, methods, and strategies. 3) What the essential virtues are.

What is good about this book is the great illustrations he gives tied to good biblical principles about how the church ought to be, what kind of people we ought to be, and not thinking some technique, model, or strategy is what will solve it while inside we remain no different than the world. He advocates church leaders should be vulnerable and should seek to cooperate with others not compete against them. We should have a culture of brokenness, patience, and fidelity. To all of these I say, yes, yes, and yes.

However, I do not think all models or strategies are all bad or that as an organization the church cannot think about how to better govern itself and equip its members to live more like Christ. The church is an organism and an organization. I don't think just because a church is big it is bad or that it has abandoned what it means to be the church. Suttle makes the point on several occasions to consider whether God is calling your church to shrink, to literally have less people. I don't see how that is any better than when I have heard megachurch pastors say you are not faithful if your church is not growing. Maybe your church is shrinking because you are a jerk and have poor leadership skills? I know this is not what Suttle is trying to say. I only point out to guard against either extremes.

In the end, Shrink is aiming at a prophetic wake up call to the church in America, to prune itself. To get back to the essence of life in Christ together, no matter the results numerically or otherwise. I agree to a large extent, but being a good steward involves not just good character but also good management. The church is God's household (1 Tim. 4:15) and this requires both Christian character and good management.

Our Summer Series - Kings: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

This week we will start our new series on 1 & 2 Kings. This series will go through the summer and will hit the highlights of God's faithfulness through a declining kingdom. Our first message will come from 1 Kings 1-2 when David transfers the kingdom to Solomon.

The whole series will look at the good and bad side of many well known figures - Solomon, Elijah, Hezekiah, and some strange anonymous prophet known as the "man of God." Many of them have immense gifts, moments of great trust in God, and moments of failure, weakness and catastrophe. There are no "flat" characters here. They are complex ones, with only a few good ones, some bad ones, and few that are just plain ugly.

Throughout the series we will explore various idols in our lives, especially with an eye to leadership. Our Elders are reading through Andy Crouch's excellent book Playing God which is about the use and misuse of power. You can read it with us if you like. We also want to give people an opportunity to share stories of God's grace in their life to overcome our own idols like money, power, and sex. It is worth noting that the writer of Kings always has Deuteronomy (esp. 17:14-20) in the back of his mind; God's covenant with his people expressed in the law, and the consequences of being true to that covenant or not.

In our own day many wonder about the direction of our own nation and of the church. We long for a kingdom with a great king. But we should ask whether the kind of leader we want is one we need. And whether the king that we need, is the one we are willing to follow.

Lonely in Silicon Valley: Proverbs 5 and Relationships

I have always found relationship advice very frustrating. Mostly because of people speaking in really vague terms that mean nothing, like "You know when you know." Or they treat it like a formula that if you do x, y, and z you find someone or your marriage will be automatically better. The real problem is not that there is nothing good about people's advice, the problem is that our own hearts hear what we want to hear. We want a quick fix. We want someone to give us the secret the unlocks the mystery of the opposite sex. But it just doesn't work that way.

I distinctly remember hearing a Pastor of mine once giving a message about not worrying. One of his application points was for singles to not worry too much about finding someone but to "seek first his kingdom and his righteousness." I spent years thinking about what he meant by that. It doesn't sound much different than advice like "You know when you know," or the proverbial "at some point it just clicks and you find someone." What my Pastor was alluding to is that point when you are no longer trying too hard and believing that being with someone will finally fill that gaping hole in your life. It is when you finally surrender and realize the perfect person doesn't exist and your expectations are way too high. That is the moment you begin to live by faith and realize finding someone is an act of God's grace. It is the moment you are free to live and enjoy the journey for what it is - when you are content if you are single or married.

However, that only covers idols we have concerning relationships. The biggest frustration I hear is that in a city where everyone works a ton and community is sparse - how in the world will you ever meet someone? There are also cultural idols in the modern world that make finding someone extremely difficult. Our society is very individualistic and people don't value community. They find meaning in their work and delay looking for someone. They overvalue their own opinions and do not associate with people of different values. So they find it difficult to be in community with people different from themselves who have different views. *News flash*, I don't care who you end up with, they will be different from you. If you cannot learn to get along with people different from you in casual friendships and acquaintances you will have an extremely difficult time managing an actual relationship no matter how similar you are. All that to say what do you do if your "social network" (including church) has slim pickings?

1) Understand that singleness is a gift - 1 Corinthians 7:7

I know you want practical advice. Sorry, you have to deal with the spiritual as well or you are missing the whole point. Get it in your head that the love of Christ is more important and single people have a huge amount of flexibility to invest in the church and in their faith.

2) There are seasons to not seek marriage. If you need to be with someone, you probably have an relationship idol. Times when you have a new job, death in the family, grad school, are really difficult, time consuming and emotionally charged times. Your head isn't in the game.

3) Get serious about finding someone as you get older. You can date for fun in high school. Maybe even college. Get real after that. If they are not looking for a serious relationship. Move on!

4) Be attracted to the whole person, not just looks - but heart and character.

5) Don't get too emotionally involved with a non-believer. Getting married requires your deepest desires and passions to be shared. If you love Jesus, you are not able to share your whole self.

6) Expand your community - get a hobby, sign up for eHarmony. If a hobby, do it for fun and to make new friends, not because you are desperate. Don't get all self-righteous about using dating websites. I know lots of career people who they have worked really well for. Would it be great, even better to meet someone without them? Yes, but remember #3.

7) Recognize you need to learn from people in good relationships. Find Godly examples and just be around them. If you are going to be able to "know when you know," you need to see good examples. Get involved in a church small group. It might actually be best for you if it's not a "singles group." The church is a family and family has brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews. Too often people look around and think no single people are there, but a lot of people meet through mutual friends. Don't give up on a community just because you don't see anyone at first glance.

Hope that helps and I hope and pray our church is able to truly be a loving family - for singles, families, and married people investing in each other.

Sermon Recap: Pursuing Wisdom

Yesterday's sermon was the second in our series on Proverbs. The previous Sunday we talked about what wisdom is and this last Sunday we talked about how to pursue wisdom.

One of the critical points I tried to make is that in our modern world we use technology and science like ancient people used magic - to conform the world to suit the desires of our soul. Rather than the way wisdom is supposed to function to conform the soul to cope with reality (this insight comes from CS Lewis I believe, but I originally encountered it in a Tim Keller sermon on Proverbs).

That distinction is critical to understand because wisdom is the Bible is described as a path, not a technique to master. Going to a seminar and gaining a key insight does not give you wisdom. It is a path you must pursue. The path begins with your heart.

The heart is the central of the person and is much more holistic in the Bible than english communicates. We tend to think of the heart as the place of emotions, but Biblically, especially in the Old Testament it is the place of our thoughts, desires, and drives all of our behaviors (10:8, 13; 14:14; 13:12; 15:13, 28; 23:19, 28:14). Proverbs 4:23 captures this best, "Above all else guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it," (NIV 2011).

There are three things I said we should do in order to train our hearts in wisdom:
1) Know your heart. Exegete your heart. Know its temptations and desires and therefore internalize God's commands. Prov. 3:1, 3, 5.
2) Know the Lord, trust in Him. Learn to exegete scripture.
3) Know your context and exegete the culture.

Finally, the path has been set before by Christ who was perfectly obedient before the Father and calls us to follow him and be his disciples. Our path to wisdom is a cross shaped life where we obey him by faith in what he has done for us. We do so in the Spirit and not in our own strength for the glory of God and not for our own.

Pursuing wisdom thing is about growing in Christian character with love expressed in the cross of Christ. This is our chief aim.

From Pastor Chris: Go and Learn Mercy

Matthew 9:13 - Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

This last Sunday I challenged our church to put to practice that Jesus saves sinners with scandalous mercy. Jesus went to the least, the lost, the outcast, the sick, the broken, and showed them compassion and called them to follow him. God desires that we extend the mercy we have received through Christ more than he cares about external things in worship services or being a good person.

We need to go to people and allow ourselves to be scandalized by who responds to God's mercy in Jesus. But I especially called us to begin to do it through the ministry of Moriah's Mission. This is the ministry that Justin and Victoria Nelson have been working to establish since God brought their daughter Moriah into their lives. Our church has a great opportunity to serve medically fragile children and their families and to demonstrate God's call to be merciful.

Our goal is to serve the children, families, and even staff of Children's Recovery Center and the Saratoga Subacute with the compassion of Jesus. Serving children with special needs can be a little intimidating. Our aim is not to make them a project, but simply to be the hands and feet of Jesus. We desire to come alongside with events that serve the children and by providing emotional and spiritual support.

There are three ways we want to show the mercy of Jesus through Moriah's Mission:

1) Provide a holiday meals or activities and sponsor field trips (e.g. Monterey Bay Aquarium)

They loved it last year when we provided a Thanksgiving meal and Christmas party. They love it when we raise money for kids to go the Monterey Bay Aquarium. These are easy to get involved with: you can cook, deliver food, or help raise funds for these events. We are exploring the opportunity of doing a Blood Drive with them this fall.

2) Provide a group of volunteers to just be there for the kids and families on a consistent basis

We hope this fall to coordinate a group of volunteers to be there regularly to read to kids, play a game or assist the Nelson's with their kids so they can visit the CRC or Saratoga. The key is consistency (twice a month or weekly).

3) Provide services for Bible studies or memorial service

We used to provide a worship service that became a Bible study on a monthly basis there. We want to do that again. We also have essentially done a memorial service on two occasions for a child and a staff member. They deeply cherished us assisting in the bereavement process. This is basically the role of a chaplain that Justin, myself and a few others can provide.

If this interests you in any way, please come to a meeting for Moriah's Mission on July 10th at 7:00pm in the small social hall. We will go over vision and next steps and begin to move toward greater involvement with the CRC and Saratoga Subacute.

From Pastor Chris: Reluctant Blessings

Hey Church,

I write this letter to you with mixed feelings because Jason and Laura Helveston, our co-laborers in the gospel, are departing to do ministry in another city. We all long to have such a deeply committed church that we dream of being together for years to come. We conceive of leaders being with us from the cradle to the grave. But if we are honest, those are dreams of heaven and the kingdom to come, not our life as sojourners on this earth. Remember Hebrews 11:13-16:

These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

The reality is we are not sovereign individuals who get to choose when and where we will live and work. In fact, scripture affirms time and again that it is God's providential hand who places us where we are, for whatever time we are there, in order that all people may know him (Acts 17:26-28). What makes it difficult is that we must always put our relationships in God's hand and be grateful for them for the time we have, not wasting any moment. We want our friends and family to be around forever but in this life it is a request that can never be granted. This life by nature is transitory; it only serves to fuel our longing for the eternal heavenly city, where sorrows never touch our shores.

Despite the difficulty of saying goodbye to people we love, we can rejoice and bless them as they go. We know that God is sovereign and that he controls even the nations in the palm of his hand. We can trust that wherever he places his people he will continue to make Jesus known. It is a fearful thing to place yourself in the hands of the living God. For you know that he may do with you as he wishes, when he wishes. Yet, he does not do this for selfish reasons or for some deranged form of entertainment. He does it so that others may be saved; we give our lives for the sake of others just as His Son did for us.

Our prayers of blessings for the Helvestons may be reluctant blessings, but they are blessings of hope. Looking forward to what God may do through them in Chicago and what he will do through us here in San Jose by his sovereign grace. Then when we get to the Great Wedding Banquet of the Lamb, we then can say, "This is what he did. This is what he did. This is what he did!"

Godspeed Jason, Laura, Glori, and Jedidiah Helveston.

Pastor Chris

Recommended Books - Resolving Everyday Conflict (The Peacemaker)

I don't know about you, but I really struggle with conflict. As difficult as it is, conflict needs to be faced in order to be resolved. The problem is we do not always address it in a way that is gives us a sense of peace or is helpful (instead of harmful) to others.

Some of us ignore it, brush it under the rug, and hope it goes away. But this often enables another person to continue harmful behavior while bitterness, resentment, and anger bubble just under the surface. A single spark will cause an eruption and often a vengeful response.

Some of us become aggressive and seek to deal with conflict right away but often without much gentleness and a lot of misunderstanding. We wonder why people we often seek out to resolve a problem go running the other direction, meanwhile we label them as "dysfunctional" or unhealthy.

Resolving Everyday Conflict is a very short and simple book that gives four basic principles to resolving conflict in a way that fosters change and reconciliation. It is basically a shortened version of the very popular and excellent book The Peacemaker. Both are written by Ken Sande who has founded Peacemaker ministries as a result of the popularity of these books. It doesn't just follow Biblical principles laid out by Jesus, but Gospel principles that work to change our hearts to be more like Christ and be agents of peace and change in other peoples lives.

The book covers the 4 "G's" of conflict:
- G1 is Glorify God - bring God into your situation and seek his guidance and help to bring resolution and peace (this doesn't mean using him to rain down judgment!).
- G2 is Get the Log Out - own up to your part of the conflict (the step most frequently skipped).
- G3 is Gently Restore - help others own their part of the conflict (probably the most misused).
- G4 is Go and Be Reconciled (perhaps the most difficult).
The four principles sound simple on the surface and rather elementary, but if we are honest with ourselves, many of us are stuck in the third grade when it comes to resolving conflict. We might get 2 out of the four and that only with partial credit.

Sande asserts that the way we often try to make peace is to use some authority, whether our own or God's, in order to say why the other person is wrong and needs to change. We often believe our judgment of the situation is the right one. We overlook our own faults or we misplace them. We need to stop thinking we can change them or that they are a hopeless cause. We don't have God's perspective on the whole thing. He does desire to use us to be a catalyst for change in others. But let him do his job and you do yours. We have to acknowledge we contribute to the problem and begin with confessing our own sin and contribution. It doesn't matter whose portion is bigger, a speck in your own eye should always look like a log to you! Then by God's grace we may gain a hearing to gently point out the speck in another person's eye. This is difficult to do but we have to be gracious and we have to have their best interests in mind. Lastly, we must forgive and pray that the other person is able to as well and thus be reconciled.

It may sound like a step by step process. It isn't. Its an art. But it is gospel art woven by God to reveal his glory, the sufficiency of his Son, for our good. I hope you check out Resolving Everyday Conflict and find peace in all your relationships through Christ Jesus.

The What and Why of Membership

Church membership is often a sticky subject. So naturally, when we encourage people to take our Identity class and a requirement for membership - the question gets asked, why membership?

I think there are two concerns behind the question. 

The first is that membership is not a biblical concept. The thought is that if a subject does not appear in the Bible than it is either not a biblical concept or that the Bible has nothing to say about it. Therefore, one does not need to be a member of a church in order to honor God. Membership then is a foreign idea to faithful Christianity and thus not required but just traditional "religion."

There are a lot of subjects the Bible does not appear to talk about - dating for example. But to conclude the Bible has nothing profitable to say about it is to read it very narrowly. This usually is a statement from ignorance, not from careful study. Additionally, what we believe and do as Christians is also the result of 2000 years of believers' experience of salvation in Christ. There is 2000 years of material of believers who have wrestled with the implications of the gospel. Good theology draws the implications of the gospel not just from the Bible but from the history of the church.

Careful examination of the New Testament reveals the first Christians clearly knew who was a part of the church and who was not (Acts 20, Eph 2, 1 Cor 12, 1 Tim 3). When Paul refers to the "whole church" the leaders must have had a way of knowing if everyone was there or not and whether they were a real member (1 Cor. 14:23). Numerous passages that give commands to how all people should be treated also include language that says, "especially among those of the household of faith," (Gal. 6:10). Passages that talk about expelling someone due to egregious sin must have been formal members who were expected to live otherwise (Matt. 18:15-17; 1 Cor. 5). The reality is, in the New Testament, there is no such thing as a Christian who is not a member of a local church. In the early church after the New Testament was written, they probably became more strict about membership not less, especially in times of persecution since some members sold others out to protect themselves. The question was whether someone who denied Christ and betrayed fellow believers to death could be received back into the church. Suffice to say, it required some serious repentance and reconciliation. The bottom line is to not participate in the life of a body of believers is to not participate in the life of the head of the church, Jesus Christ. God has ordained that Christ operates by his Spirit through the local church. Being a member of a local church is part of what it means to be faithful to God.

The second objection is a fear - a fear that membership is a means of controlling people or of being legalistic and imposing a certain way of living the Christian life on others. Some people I have known object to membership because they have simply been burned by other churches or believers. They do not want to be hurt and they do not want someone to lack grace in helping them with their own temptations and struggles. This is where I think the obligation of pastors, elders, leaders within the church to care for the flock well, to serve people with love, grace, truth, and mercy is imperative (1 Pet. 5). It is not to "lord it over them." It is not to control church members but to be a vehicle for helping people experience freedom and love in Christ. I think some fear that if they are not a member they will experience more grace in their battles with sin than if they were a member and accountable to other people. They won't be vulnerable to being judged and criticized. Sometimes sheep bite and they bite hard. Some of these concerns are legitimate but to abandon community for fear of being wounded comes with the price of abandoning love which requires community.

Biblically, the lone ranger Christian is not better off but worse off. To commit oneself to a body of believers is actually to have greater access to God's grace through his Spirit among his people. In the Old Testament the greatest form of judgment was to be "cut off" from the covenant people of God (Gen. 17:14; Lev. 7:27; and many others). In the New Testament Paul speaks of believers leaving the body has being "handed over to Satan" (1 Cor. 5:5; 1 Tim. 5:20). The reality is, if you want help to grow in your faith and experience more help and grace in your battle with sin, the best thing to do is to commit to being a member of a local church. We all need community and we can't just have any community. We need a community that embodies the faith, hope, and love of Jesus.

Membership then is simply to admit you need others to help be a better disciple of Jesus. It is to formally commit and covenant with God and others to love him and people better. It is to admit you cannot do it on your own and you need a place to find mercy, grace, freedom, and love in Christ. Membership is important then for us to be unified body of believers, to be a faithful people, to submit ourselves to others as we submit ourselves to Christ. Membership is therefore not something foreign to the Bible, but something that couldn't be more biblical.

For more helpful articles on this subject check out the following links:
http://download.redeemer.com/pdf/membership/biblical_basis_for_membership.pdf
http://theresurgence.com/2011/07/06/is-church-membership-biblical
http://www.9marks.org/journal/church-membership-holding-body-together


- Pastor Chris

Previewing Spring Classes at Dwell

Beginning in January we will have a new round of classes prior to our first service. We will have two rounds of them from January through May with breaks in-between.

January 5th through March 16th

Identity 1.0

This is a class we require for membership but one does not have to commit to being a member to take it. In the class we cover major beliefs of Christians with a focus on ours in particular. I have always had fun with this one and it has been one of our most popular classes. This is mostly a theology class with a little bit of an overview of our approach to ministry towards the end. We address topics like the Trinity, Incarnation, the church, sacraments, Bible, Sin, Salvation, and Eschatology (heaven, hell, new heavens and earth).

Catholic Epistles

This is what we call all the letters not written by Paul - James, Hebrews, 1-3 John, 1-2 Peter, Jude, and Revelation. Over the course of two months all of them will be covered and most of them only in one day. Hebrews and Revelation will get a little more treatment. This is a great one to drop in on a particular day if you are preparing for personal study, leading a small group or discipleship relationships through any one of these books.

March 30th through May 25th

Identity 2.0

This will be a new one I have had it in my mind to do. Some have asked for a follow up to Identity. So this is part of my response. Traditionally, many Christians in history have done a "what we believe" training for believers (Identity 1.0) and then a "how should we live" training (Identity 2.0). This class will basically walk through the 10 commandments, always with an eye to the gospel, but how the gospel enables us to live in manner worthy of the Lord. This is a class on Christian ethics. We will discuss lots of "hot topics." Sexuality, bioethics, consumerism, family issues, birth control, work, human life from cradle to grave. Should be quite interesting. I've got some serious preparing to do!

Early Israel

The second round of overview of books in the Bible will cover Joshua, Ruth, Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel. We may move on to the Pentateuch (Gen.-Deut.) after that. It just depends on how the schedule and whats going on with our church. We may do something totally different for a few weeks.

Looking forward to it. If you are interested in any of these you can contact me or the church office.

-Pastor Chris

My Top 5 Books I read this year

I read a lot of good stuff this year but I did not read as much as I have in recent years. But I will give a few that really stick out to me (in no particular order).

1) Center Church, by Tim Keller

I started this book last December and finished it very quickly. But our Elder Board has been working through it together this year. I simply can't think of a better book out there on how to think through what faithful ministry should look like where you live. It is aimed at pastors and is basically a textbook so it is comprehensive. It will be a common resource for us sometime. His insights on contextualization, the church and culture, and the "missional church" are fantastic. Pretty much everything I have been wrestling with in ministry for the last five years is found in this one book.

2) The Cross of Christ, by John Stott

A modern classic on the subject of the atonement. Easy enough for anyone (in that it isn't bogged down by complicated jargon) but it is very dense. A must read when trying to think through what is meant by the claim "Christ died for our sins."

3) Is There Meaning in the Text? The Bible, The Reader, and the Morality of Literary Knowledge, by Kevin Vanhoozer

This book is the main reason why I didn't read a lot more this year because it was a monster. It deals with one of the biggest problems in our day - interpretation. He is funny, quirky, exhaustive, and precise. But this is by no means an easy read. Anyone who studied literary criticism or was bombarded by postmodern philosophy in college would benefit greatly from it.

4) Everyday Church, by Steve Chester and Tim Timmis

I am now using this book as training for our group leaders. Its simple, clear, and avoids some of the extremes among "missional church" guys. In some ways this book is Christianity 101, but it does depth and great questions to ask yourself, and your group, if you really are doing what you ought to be doing. We have a bunch of copies in the church lobby if you want to check it out.

5) Tie Every Good Endeavor: Connecting your Work to God's Work by Tim Keller and Redemption: Freed by Jesus from the Idols We Worship and the Wounds We Carry by Mike Wilkerson

I can't decide between the two so I will cheat and recommend 6 books and call five by using a tie (annoying I know). The first ought to be a must read because so many struggle with finding satisfaction in their work today. In some ways, work is the major idol of our day (definitely in Silicon Valley) because it is one of the primary ways we try to create meaning for our lives in a secular culture. This book is just good. We had a great time walking through it in our Faith and Work class.

The second, Redemption, is a very pastoral book in that it gently, lovingly, walks you through overcoming serious wounds and sins in your life. I really enjoyed it and am hoping and praying to have a group in our church walk through it in the future as a part of Redemption Groups for those struggling with abuse, pornography, eating disorders, or whatever else is preventing you from living life to its fullest in Christ.

Are Science and Faith at odds? Books and comments

Last month in our brief series on the Bible, I attempted to address the conflict so prevalent in modern society between science and faith (my sermon can be found here). I wanted to simply follow up, give a few basic resources for people to check out, and to attempt to clearly state the fundamental problem between science and faith.

Let me start with the fundamental problem. The problem is an issue of knowledge. Is scientific knowledge the only kind of knowledge that is trustworthy? Is religious knowledge purely subjective and therefore personal, unverifiable, and unscientific? This falls under the subject of epistemology. Epistemology is the study of knowledge, it is the philosophical subject of how we know what we know. Therefore, the debate between science and faith is ultimately an epistemological problem. The focus in the debate almost always revolves around the issue of evolution. Over time I have essentially focused on that issue less and less, because it is not the primary problem but a manifestation of the primary problem.

Virtually any book that seeks to defend Christianity against its critics addresses this problem of knowledge. What is frequently pointed out is that scientific knowledge has limits and is not as objective as it seems. It is merely pointing out the assumptions about the claim that the only legitimate knowledge is that which can be observed through natural phenomenon. In other words, the belief that we cannot know anything that cannot be subjected to a scientific test. Among several arguments I tried to give (however successfully) is that scientific knowledge must assume a rational order to the natural world. This is a philosophical assumption necessary for science to work. Science itself is a subcategory of philosophy and epistemology. It is not something that can be proven through a scientific experiment. But it is a faith commitment necessary to support science, and a highly rational one. Faith is a means to knowledge, as Augustine famously said, "I believe in order to understand."

Personally, I go for a view that science and Christianity are compatible and can reinforce one another. Be careful when drawing conclusions on my opinion of the theory of evolution from that.

There are numerous books that address these issues in much more detail and with great clarity. Alvin Plantinga is one of the most prominent but his stuff is very academic (even worse is my preference, T.F. Torrance). There are also numerous books that address specific issues. So let me give three accessible ones I have read.

Redeeming Science by Vern Poythress
This is the first one I would recommend because it is clear, has good introduction, and attempts to address lots of specific issues (even carbon dating). My main reservation is that he makes significant use of an analogical view of the natural world to matters of God and faith. Analogical views have limitations and people as Reformed as Poythress sometimes avoid them altogether (which makes me think he is simply trying to make the concepts easier to digest).

Reason for God by Tim Keller
This is a general apologetics book that has a couple of chapters relevant to this topic. They are very clear and easy enough to work through. He cites all the best sources on both sides. Keller is a bit non-committal on whether evolution is compatible with Christian theism. He does think evolution as the "grand theory of everything" is a serious problem that should challenged.

Total Truth by Nancy Pearcey
This book addresses more of the worldview issues and the reasons why our culture has divided science and faith. Nancy is a part of L'Abri, which is the ministry founded by Francis Schaffer. She spends a significant amount of time critiquing evolution. What is good about this book stylistically is that it is has lots of personal stories. She even talks about how she helps her children at a young age process this stuff. But it's still a meaty book.

I hope you find my insights and these resources helpful in your quest for clarity on this subject.

For more detailed information you can check out these links. I am giving a variety of links with opposing views on the issue of evolution. There is good and bad in all of these.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/jesuscreed/science-and-faith/
http://biologos.org (pro-evolution) http://www.icr.org (anti-evolution)
http://www.discovery.org (Intelligent Design people, a diverse group of people who are not all Christians but many are, mostly scientists who question evolution's dominance as the only view)

Books & Blogs for Helpful content on the reliability of the Bible

On how the books of the Bible made it into the canon:
FF Bruce, The Canon of Scripture

    This is a classic book that essentials walks chronologically through how the Bible came about. The last three chapters are the most important and where he gives his conclusions in light of the evidence. The rest in merely an overview from Moses to the present day. Despite being 20 years old and dated areas and more recent debates in scholarship, it is still a very good book.

Michael Kruger, Canon Revisited

   This is a more recent book that addresses different interpretations on how the Canon came to be. It gives more detail than Bruce on the basic content of some disputed works and early debates surrounding them. His argument is that the canon is self-authenticating but he still uses the tried and true criteria of "apostolic, catholic, and orthodox."

Craig Blomberg, The Historical Reliability of the Gospels

    This book was recently updated and one of the best out there on the subject. Jason and I studied under Blomberg but that isn't why we recommend this book. We recommend it, because its excellent scholarship. Blomberg is always fair and clear. He goes over many issues like supposedly contradictory passages but his main concern is demonstrating the gospels do present an accurate view of who Jesus really was.

Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses

    I have heard this one is really good, and if serious scholars who question the truth of the gospels respect it - it must be good.

One of the foremost experts on NT manuscripts these days is Dan Wallace.
    This is a great summary article of the major issues and some great recommendations for introductory books on the subject.
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2012/03/21/an-interview-with-daniel-b-wallace-on-the-new-testament-manuscripts/

Dan Wallace also has an extensive blog that goes into a TON of nitty gritty.
http://danielbwallace.com

Recommended Books - Reason for God

I wanted to get into the habit of provided reviews of books that we recommend. Pastors often read more than the general population so of course we run into good and bad books all the time. But there are some books that stand out. Ones that we think will be of benefit for you. Considering our current series of "Rock and Hard Place" (which is attempting to address controversial issues facing Christianity today), it seems natural to recommend a book that addresses such questions.

There are plenty of books that address many difficult questions but if I had to chose the first one to go to it would be Reason for God by Tim Keller. This is the book that I think first put him in the more popular consciousness of Christians in America. It came out around the same time as other books by the "New Athiests," Dawkins (The God Delusion) and Hitchens' (God is not Great). Reason for God was also a New York Times bestseller. It is one of the more popular apologetics book to come out recently. For years many people have been recommending C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity or Case for Christ by Lee Strobel. But those books are dated a bit even though they are quite good. Reason for God is good because it addresses many of the current nuances of people's objections to Christianity and faith in God in a way that is accessible. The basic arguments don't change and are in fact as old as philosophy itself. But the way they are presented, their overall tone, and their concerns often do.

Let me give an example. The book begins with what I think is the most common objection. The objection is that their cannot only be one true religion and that it is arrogant to do so. Many may take a more strict logical approach to this objection by appealing to the historical truth claims of Christianity versus Buddhism, or that monotheistic faith is more rational than other views of God. Those may be true, but Keller pinpoints that the objection is more based on the perceived arrogance of claiming only one religion is true and that we cannot know which one is. He then demonstrates that such a claim about the nature of the world's religions is in itself an arrogant claim that assumes it has the one objective all-knowing perspective. All worldviews and religions are making claims about the nature of religion and how we can know that it is true. What matters is we realize our assumptions and recognize it is just as much as, if not more so, an act of faith to believe in this one or that one. But that doesn't mean there are not better reasons to believe in one religion or another.

Reason for God is separated into two parts. The first part address objections to Christianity and the second part addresses reasons for Christianity. The first part covers seven major objections: there can't be just one true religion, how could a good God allow suffering, Christianity is the enemy of freedom, why is the church responsible for so much evil, how can a loving God send people to hell, science has disproved Christianity, and you can't take the Bible literally. The second part covers seven reasons for faith in Christ: Clues of God (which are basic arguments for his existence), knowledge of God, the problem of sin, religion versus the gospel, the true story of the cross, the reality of the resurrection, and lastly the dance of God.

If I had any critique, it would be that some of the arguments for Christianity focus on making sense of basic Christian principles and neglect historical evidences that demonstrate such a belief is warranted. Its one thing to say Christ was crucified, buried and rose on the third day. Its a whole other thing to say what that means and how. Keller focuses on the later, rather than any historical evidence for the former like many other apologetic type books. The book does not deal with how the Bible came to be or whether we can trust it. But no worries (shameless plug) - I am doing a sermon series in November on those very subjects (Lord willing they will be profitable for you). By and large Keller is successful at achieving the basic aim of the book: faith in the God of the Bible is not crazy, but in fact quite reasonable.

What are some books that you have found beneficial for faith in Christ? Or ones that have been a source of great doubt?

Check out Reason for God by Tim Keller and share you insights with us. You can get it at Amazon or almost any major bookstore (Christian or otherwise).

On Deacons: a brief overview

The Elder Board has been working to put together a deacon board. In conjunction with that, I have put together a brief description on the role of deacon.

The New Testament speaks of two primary ministry roles in the church: elder (or overseer) and deacon (1 Tim. 3). I will focus exclusively on the role of deacon in this post. There are several primary to address, three being quite basic and the forth is often asked: 1) What is a deacon?  2) What does a deacon do?  3) Who can be a deacon?  4) Can women be deacons?

The word group associated with deacon (diakonos, diakoneo, and diakonia) is very common in the New Testament (100x). These words can be translated as serve, servant, assistant, ministry, office, helper, or deacon. The ESV translates the word diakonos as deacon, only four times (Rom. 16:1; 1 Tim. 3:10, 12, 13). It is most often rendered servant and at other times as minister. In Greek culture it was mostly used for a waiter or waitress, which was a job for a slave but not fitting for a free man. Interestingly, the word is not used much in the Greek translation of the Old Testament (aka LXX). Meaning, there is something different that happens as a result of the New Covenant inaugurated by Christ. The service one does is not only to meet another’s needs (1 Cor. 16:15; Acts 11:29) but for the proclamation of the gospel (2 Tim. 4:11) and for all gifts of the body of Christ (Eph. 4:12). This word group is different from doulos (bond-servant, slave, servant) in that doulos is the Christian’s utter subjection to Christ. Diakonos is to the church, family, and fellow-man. A Christian is a servant of Christ, serving others on Christ’s behalf and in Christ’s name.

It is apparent than that the decisive shift happens as a result of the ministry of Jesus. Consider how diakoneo is used in Mark 10:45 (par. Matt 20:28; Lk. 18:26) –– “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” What is important to understand is that the word itself and especially in the Bible, conveys not just the idea of humble service for the benefit of someone else, but that such service is voluntary. What is remarkably counter-cultural is that such service is not just done for superiors but for people deemed inferior - sinners, the poor, the widows, and the orphans. If the Son of God who came from heaven served us, then no one is beneath our service. It is no surprise then that this becomes Paul’s favorite term to describe Christian ministry.

So it is clear a deacon is about serving, especially in aiding the needy. But why does it get singled out as a formal position? There is the general sense of a deacon as any Christian serving God, the church, and their neighbor. But there is also a special sense of a Christian holding the office of deacon.  This is when a few people are singled out as full of the Spirit and wisdom for the edification of the body and proclamation of the gospel (Acts. 6:3). This distinction is often referred to as the general office vs. the special office. Those who hold the special office have been called by Christ and recognized by the body as having a high degree of gifting for serving the church.

What does a deacon do? Deacons are people who serve the poor (Stephen in Acts 6) and attend to bodily needs, but also spiritual ones as ministers of the Word. Often deacons have assisted with the administration of churches and sometimes deacons have become elders. So there is no strict limitation to what they can do. But most of the stress is on the fact that deacons are people who serve the body, tending to the physical needs, in particular of the poor and widows. The other primary distinction between an elder and deacon in 1 Timothy 3 is that an elder is “able to teach.” On a very basic level, deacons are better servants than speakers. An analogy can be made that they are diligent managers but not visionary executives.

But who can be a deacon? 1 Timothy 3:8-13 is the primary passage to examine. The list of qualities mostly entails being firm in one’s conviction of the truth of the Christian faith and living a lifestyle of sufficient Christian character which is demonstrated in their fidelity to their family and treatment of their children (if relevant). A deacon is to be tested and this probably means that enough is known that they can complete the tasks to which they are trusted. The last piece may be a little more obscure and controversial to some. That is, does 1 Timothy 3:8-13 prohibit women from being deacons (aka deaconness)?

There are two main passages of note: Romans 16:1 and 1 Timothy 3:11. A cursory reading of the NT shows that both Jesus and Paul worked with women in their ministries and to a degree that was counter-cultural to the people of their day. Most notable for the role of deacon though is that Paul mentions “Pheobe, a servant” in Romans 16:1 (the ESV includes a footnote that servant could be translated “deaconness”). Indeed it is the word diakonos that appears here. The form of the word and the syntax of the sentence is consistent with her possessing the formal office of deacon and not a mere helper of some generic kind. It is quite clear she served in an official capacity.

There are three exegetical arguments that argue against a reading of 1 Timothy 3:11 that excludes women. One, there is no “their” in the greek text. It literally reads, “likewise wives/women must be,” (ESV and NIV84 footnote that wives can also be rendered women). It has been translated with the possessive pronoun their because it can be inferred from the context, and because in English translations it has traditionally been rendered that way. The verse without the pronoun serves to both stress the conduct of a male deacon’s wife, and a female deaconness. Two, likewise is often used to introduce instructions to a different group of people (cf. 1 Tim. 3:8; 1Pet. 2:13-3:7). So it is more natural to assume it is including female deacons. Three, the admonitions to wives is remarkably similar to those given to deacons in vv. 8-10. If male deacons are only in view, it seems redundant if it is not also addressing female deacons before moving on to more instructions to men and the general charge to all deacons.

In conclusion, a deacon is a servant of God for the benefit of the body of Christ. This includes the general call of all Christians to serve each other with the ministry of the word or of deed. It also means the special office of deacon when the church singles out a particular individual with a higher degree of gifting and character in order to serve the needs of the body. It is common for the office of deacon to be focused on physical needs of people in and out of the church. But this does not exclude administrative or teaching gifts. Character is the primary test for the qualifications of a deacon, particularly demonstrated in how their care for their family. They should be a mature believer who has demonstrated character and competency.

Starting next week. We will post one question each week from New City Catechism by Tim Keller and Sam Shames. We hope you will look at it and use it for your own personal devotion and edification.

But let me give a brief word for those you unfamiliar or a little weirded out by the word "catechism." It is a word that people often associate with the Catholic Church and rote soulless memorization. The word means "instruction" and comes from the Greek word katecheo in Gal. 6:6; Lk. 1:4; Acts. 18:25; Rom. 2:18; 1 Cor. 14:19 (ESV renders it taught or instructed).  This might be surprising to you, but in fact the Catholic Church instituted their catechism during the counter-reformation as a response to numerous reformed catechisms developed during the Reformation. The first Catholic catechism appeared in 1566, 25 years after Luther and Calvin developed their respective catechisms (Luther's Large and Small Catechism in 1529, Calvin's Geneva Catechism in 1541). The Heidelberg Catechism (1563) and Westminster Catechism (1648) are the most famous of them all with the former pre-dating Catholic catechism. The intent and purpose was that through them people would learn the basics of the Christian faith. Catechisms have been used in important periods of Christian renewal throughout history. The first would be the Apostle's Creed. Early creeds were another from of later Catechisms (it should be noted that some baptists have a problem with creeds and catechisms but there are Baptist catechisms you can google).

New City Catechism is a simple question and answer format that is intended to be memorized. It is short, only 52 questions (one per week of the year), and has a great web format with an ipad app too. Each question also contains a short bible passage, brief commentary from classic Christian works, short videos by great pastors around the country, and a brief prayer. I highly recommend you try it. You can even do it as a family since it has short answers easy enough for kids that are color coded within the longer answer for adults.

I would also highly recommend reading Keller's explanation of what Catechism is and why it is beneficial here.

Here is a helpful FAQ on how you can use it personally and with your kids.

You can check it out at www.newcitycatechism.com or just wait for our posts starting this Monday morning.

I pray you will find it edifying.

Pastor Chris

Discipleship Training - What classes will we offer?

As some of you may have heard over the last few weeks.  We will now offer a rotation of classes to better equip people to follow Christ.

We will offer a variety of short term subjects (6-10 weeks) all for the purpose of enabling us all to become better disciples of Christ and to make disciples.

Sometimes it is helpful to know what the schedule will be so you can plan ahead of time.  So here is the schedule through the spring of next year.

September - October
Overview of the Major Prophets - Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, 8 weeks
Everyday Church for Everyday People - How following Christ in community can be a lifestyle.  This is a preparation for Gospel Groups.  8 weeks

November - December
Overview of the Minor Prophets - Daniel through Malachi. 8 weeks
Faith and Work - We will study Tim Keller's Every Good Endeavor together (I think a lot of people are looking forward to this one). 6-8 weeks.  We will see how it goes.

January - February
Identity - Our membership class that everyone talks so much about. 10 weeks
Overview of Paul's early letters - Galatians, Corinthians, Thessalonians, and Romans. 8 weeks

March - April
Overview of Paul's later letters - Colossians, Ephesians, Philippians, Timothy and Titus.  6 weeks
Family Matters - Dating, Singleness, Marriage, Family, Parenting, etc.  You know, nothing too difficult.  I suspect this will be popular too.  8 weeks.

I hope this is useful for people.  We have many sharp people in our church and wonderful teachers.  We hope to serve you all well so that we can serve the Lord well in our challenging and confusing times.  Let me know if you have any requests and I will see what we can do.

Chris Tenny
Discipleship Pastor

Taking a stab at Christians and the Game of Thrones

Unless you don’t pay attention to anything in pop culture, you will have noticed that there has been a lot of hubbub about this show on HBO called “Game of Thrones.”  It’s a show in the medieval fantasy genre that is quite dark.  A recent article in USA today posed the question whether Christians should watch it.  Since I have been watching it along with 5.5 million people, I thought I would throw in my opinion.  My one disclaimer is that there is a lot of talk about what Christians should and should not watch and I am sure some have much more developed thoughts than mine (read this and let me know).

Let’s begin with this question: why does anyone watch it? Primarily, people watch because it’s a high-quality show based off a best-selling book series by George R.R. Martin.  It has great plot and character development.  It has complex story lines with complex characters where there are no clear good guys or bad guys.  It has dragons, weird religions, sorcerers, and a mysterious frozen zombie horde.  It has warring clans, revenge, political intrigue, and huge world where everyone is fighting for power.  Did I mention it has dragons?  Despite all of this, what we are exploring is whether a Christian should watch it.

There are some whose opinion it is that people should not watch anything with morally objectionable material.  There are others who think this whole conversation is silly and irrelevant.  It’s just a TV show.  I think both are simplistic views.  Lets start with the objections.  It has a lot of sex, violence, sorcery, and seems to have no “redeeming qualities.”  The sex is obnoxious most of the time and even some critics have coined the term sexposition to describe the cheap ways the GoT plot is advanced through sexual content (we always fast forward through it since we often watch it on a 10-15 minute delay).  If you can’t stomach the violence in GoT, then you also  shouldn’t watch Gladiator, Braveheart, or any other great movie involving war, especially war scenes involving swords.  What might cross the line here regarding violence are the torture scenes, especially in Theon’s case (since at this point it seems to serve no purpose).  As for the sorcery, I actually think the way magic is done in this show is brilliant.  It occurs rarely, mysteriously, and often on the periphery.  The viewer is not quite sure if these religions are real, and some characters in the show even disbelieve in any of the old stories about the gods (sounds like the modern world).  Lastly, Martin seems to have created a nihilistic world in which “you win or you die.” Even when someone wins, the victory often creates more problems than it solves.

I think it should go without saying that if you think it is not beneficial for you to watch due to the content, then don’t watch GoT.  If you struggle with pornography, hate violence, or are tempted to try some black magic because you think Harry Potter is real, don’t watch it.  However, anyone who thinks this is a “meat sacrificed to idols” thing (1 Cor. 8-10) should consider that early Christians found it highly objectionable to go to the coliseum or even watch plays at amphitheaters (I don’t know exactly why, though some of the reasons should be obvious, e.g. death of your brother by lions).

However, I think looking at the moral content of the show is missing some deeper themes.  Beneath the sex and violence are themes that are more revealing of the way people think about the world that drive those immoral actions.  The first theme is what the producers are quoted as saying- that, in this world, “no good deed goes unpunished.”  It’s a bleak outlook and it is what made the “red wedding” so tragic.  Often times the flawed characters you are hoping will bring justice get killed first, which is quite depressing and infuriating.  This world does seem set against good people- something virtually guaranteed in the New Testament with the teaching that a Christian who lives righteously will suffer and be persecuted (2 Tim. 3:12; cf. Matt. 10:16-34).  The second theme occurs on the other side of the sea.  The whole storyline of the character Daenerys Targaryen to this point has essentially been a picture of overcoming oppression.  It is a good picture of liberation theology and Marxism, where the oppressed often become the oppressors due to the corrupting force of power.  She frees the 99% by brutality killing the 1% ruling the city.  A third theme is that truly no one is innocent in this show.  No matter who gets killed it is hard to argue they were an innocent person.  How is this not consistent with a Biblical worldview concerning sin?  Take Arya Stark as another example.  As much as we are rooting for her, she is becoming obsessed with vengeance.  The death of her enemies may be just, but it is unlikely it will occur through purely just means.  Like GoT, the Bible contains a lot of “objectionable” material but that is partly what makes it so great.  The rawness and honesty of it all.  Often times the most obvious immoral act is just scratching the surface of the deeper and more sinister spiritual evil that motivated the act (2 Sam. 11).  The book of Judges is a good parallel to GoT. In Judges, God seems to be on the sidelines and withdraws more and more as people get worse and worse.  I will be impressed (and severely depressed) if Martin ends this series as bleakly as the book of Judges.

Regardless of its merits, let’s not forget GoT is a fantasy world and it’s entertainment.  That doesn’t mean media does not affect us, but we shouldn’t blow it out of proportion.  I do believe what we watch affects us, but not to the degree that thinking about sinning or actually acting on sinful thoughts does.  I don’t think any Christian, regardless of whether they think their conscience permits them to watch it, should not feel remorse for the brutality of it.  It’s horrible and Martin does everything he can to make you feel for his characters when they die.  But that’s good story telling, and is not a sin in itself.  I don’t know if the series will have an ending that will make up for all the brutality, I think it most likely won’t.  What the viewer should watch for is what gives rise to their affections for a given character?  Which do you resonate with and why?  Do you struggle to resist the temptations of power, sex, or money, taking advantage of people along the way?  Do you desire revenge?  Are you prone to despair and view the real world as being as dark as this fantasy world?  Or do you distance yourself perhaps too much from the real brutality and unfairness of this world, blindly thinking life is all bunnies and lollipops?

Let’s not forget there is no rider on the white horse in this series.  There is no savior in the world of Westeros.  But in the real world we have a hope beyond the brutality and unfairness, a great hope that the King of kings, and Lord of lords will one day establish justice for all eternity.  The Bible ends with a picture of the world thrown into far more chaos, death, and immorality than the world of the Game of Thrones. Unlike the cries of the characters in GoT, the prayers of God’s people who have been mercilessly killed and martyred have collected symbolically as incense in a censer (Rev. 8:1-4).  The censer is finally poured out as God’s wrath begins against all wickedness and evil and he finally brings the justice everyone has longed for.  Prayers for justice will finally be answered.  The only one who can wield such justice rightly will come, and “the meek shall inherit the earth,” (Matt. 5:3-10).  He will come and vindicate all those who have loved their enemies and have trusted in him and his justice by faith.  ”Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Gen. 18:25) asks Abraham and all those who have experienced great evil and injustice.  Revelation answers with an emphatic YES.  The rider on the white horse, Jesus Christ, will come once and for all to establish a world without evil, suffering, and injustice because he defeated satan, sin, and death on the cross (Rev. 19:11-21).  Come Lord Jesus, come quickly.  Because I don’t want to live if the Lannisters continue running the show.

A brief guide to Hebrews, 11:8-21

By Faith they sought a heavenly city

There is no question Abraham is a massively important figure in the Bible.  Naturally, the writer spends a large portion of chapter eleven talking about Abraham and his descendants.  The story of Abraham begins in Genesis 12 (his genealogy appears in 11), climaxes in Genesis 22, and continues until his death in Genesis 25.  In the Bible, he is the quintessential picture of a life of faith.  God’s covenant with Abraham included two things: land and descendants.  Both of these were hugely important to ancient people and intimately connected.  Hebrews stresses Abraham took God at his word at every turn and obeyed God, having faith he would provide land and descendants.  His life was a nomadic one and he never settled in the land God called him to but he never returned to the land he was called out of.  Isaac and Jacob also had opportunities to return to their father’s homeland but did not, even though they too never really settled in Canaan.  They all died in faith, which the writer argues reveals they were not trusting in a earthly homeland but a heavenly city built by God himself.  God miraculously provided a son, Isaac, through Abraham’s wife Sarah even though both of them were close to death and incapable of having children.  For years, Abraham struggled to follow God and was by no means perfect in trusting God, but he never gave up hope.  The climax of his life is when God asked him to sacrifice his son Isaac.  It appears that God gave a command contradictory to his promise, but Hebrews testifies that Abraham believed God was capable of resurrecting Isaac.  Romans 4:20-21 tells us Abraham’s great faith is demonstrated in that he considered the conundrum between God’s command and promise to be God’s problem to sort out.  Abraham merely took God at his word and obeyed.  Thus, while he never saw the full promises of God fulfilled, he saw them in part, for he was given a son and God always provided what they needed to stay in Canaan, particularly when the Hittites gave him a place to bury Sarah (Gen. 23:4).  Isaac and Jacob both passed on the promises of God to their descendants and maintained faith throughout their lives, even though they faced their own challenges and struggles with God along the way.

By Faith demonstrated righteousness

What should be understood is not just the great faith the patriarchs had in God and his promises, but also that they were flawed characters whose faith in God enabled them to do what was right at critical times.  They left Ur and never returned.  Abraham permitted his nephew Lot to take the seemingly better land (Gen. 13).  He did not take the spoils of war and tithed to the righteous worshipper of Yahweh, Melchizedek (Gen. 14).  God considered him righteous on account of his faith (Gen. 15), and Abraham obeyed God when called to sacrifice his son (Gen. 22).  Isaac ensured that the promises and blessings of God were passed on to his son Jacob, even though Esau was overlooked (Gen. 27:27-40).  Jacob blessed his two grandsons by Joseph with the blessings and promises of God (Gen. 48).  None of them realized the full promises of God, but all of this reveals they were not trusting in a temporal city, but an eternal one that God himself would build.

A brief guide to Hebrews, 11:5-7

By Faith Enoch

Enoch is an obscure biblical character that stands out in Genesis 5:18-24 (cf. 1 Chr. 1:3; Lk. 3:37).  He is also quoted in a strange passage in Jude 14, but Hebrews does not rely on the same sources as Jude for stories about Enoch.  Enoch is most well known for a strange event: that he “was taken up so that he should not see death.”  The old King James renders it rather literally, “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” The word metatithemi (taken up or translated) has the meaning of being transferred or put in another place, thus implying from earth to heaven.  He walked with God, and as a reward for a life lived by faith, Enoch didn’t die (for the differences between “walked” and “pleased” see footnote).

Enoch’s life of faith was rewarded by presence with God.  Enoch is the only person in Genesis 5 who is not simply mentioned as being born, having an heir and then dying.  This points to the reality that God was providing hope for the faithful beyond the grave.  This naturally transitions into 11:6 where it says, “without faith it is impossible to please God.”  It is not because someone is righteous that God is pleased with them, but because they trust in God by faith he is pleased.  The relationship with him becomes the source and motive for their personal righteousness by his grace through faith.  But where some may go wrong here is thinking that belief in God in general is sufficient.  This is inconsistent with Hebrews as a whole and the particulars of this verse.  One must believe in the God of the Bible as he has revealed himself through Christ (Heb. 1:3).  It is faith in this God that results in salvation for those who diligently seek him.

By Faith Noah

Noah is a much more familiar person in scripture (cf. Gen. 5:28-9:27; 1 Pet. 3:20; 2 Pet. 2:5).  Verse 11:7 harks back to 11:1, about believing in the unseen, with Noah’s faith that a flood was coming.  He took God at his word and made preparations despite how ridiculous it seemed to his contemporaries.  He feared God and became an heir of righteousness that comes by faith.  The language of being an heir of righteousness has been used in Hebrews before concerning Jesus as the heir of all things (1:2).  Like the other people mentioned so far, Genesis makes no mention of Noah’s faith, but merely that he found favor in God’s eyes and walked with God.  Noah’s building of the ark both reveals the condemnation of the world and his faith in God’s word.  Therefore, the flood becomes a symbol of the eternal judgment of the wicked and the salvation of the righteous (cf. 1 Pet. 3:20).  Like Abel and Enoch, Noah’s faith and righteousness are inseparable.  It is easy to look back into the OT stories and conclude God was pleased with some people because they were good.  But God was pleased with them because they had faith in him and they acted in accordance with that faith.  Their actions demonstrated their righteousness.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

^{1 Hebrews consistently quotes Septuagint (LXX).  The LXX is a Greek translation of the Old Testament commonly used in the first century.  It has a tendency to make the language less anthropomorphic and exalting the transcendence of God.  So in this case the anthropomorphic language of “walking with God” is translated from the original Hebrew to the Greek as “having pleased God.”}

A Brief Guide to Hebrews, 11:1-4

Overview

Hebrews 11 is a well known chapter, and beloved by many Christians.  It depicts the “heroes” of the faith.  It begins with what characterizes faith (11:1-3), examples of faith from Abel and Noah (11:4-7), of Abraham and his descendants (11:8-22), of Moses (11:23-28), and of other OT saints (11:29-40).  The dominant theme throughout Hebrews is the superiority of Jesus to various aspects of Judaism.  This theme has not been abandoned, for the faith of these saints was in the promises of God which have been brought about by Christ (cf. 11:13-16, 39-40).  We have a tendency to think that all these people had supernatural faith, but really it was not the quantity of their faith but its quality.  Lets look more closely at what is said about faith in the first verse.  The issue involves two key words: “assurance/confidence” and “conviction/assurance” (ESV/NIV).  The root words are hypostasis and elenchos.  Some may remember that hypostasis is a key word used by the early church fathers in settling debates on the Trinity and the Incarnation (recall the hypostatic union – two natures in one person).  This word appears in Heb. 1:3 as nature (“he is the exact imprint of his hypostasis”), and in 3:14 as confidence (“if indeed we hold our original hypostasis”).  So, is the old KJV right in stressing the objective nature of faith and rendering it “substance” (hypostasis) and “evidence” (elenchos)?  Or are modern translations correct in stressing the subjective nature of faith and rendering it “assurance” and “conviction?”  The problem here is when people tend to see this verse as a definition of faith.  This is troublesome because it does not clearly state what the object of our faith is – Jesus Christ (cf. 12:2) – so people tend to describe faith as something to maintain in the absence of evidence.  The overall context ought to be our guide in clarifying the sense of a word.  Therefore, I think Ellingworth is correct when he states: “It is more natural, in the light of the chapter as a whole, to think of v. 1 as a summary of what faith does: faith binds the believer securely to the reality of what he does not (yet) see, but for which he hopes,” (Ellingworth, 566.) This combines the objective and subjective elements of faith.  Hence both translations are correct, which the overall context ought to make clear.

Abel as the first example of righteousness by faith

It is worth making a brief comment about Abel (Gen. 4:1-10; cf. Matt. 23:35; 1 Jn. 3:12).  Why was Abel’s sacrifice better than Cain’s?  Some have speculated it was because of the type of offering that was given.  Others have argued it was because Abel offered “firstfruits” and not leftovers.  Neither is satisfactory because the crucial idea is that righteousness and faith cannot be separated.  The sacrifices God approves of are not determined by the content of the offerings, but by the content of one’s heart.  Biblically, it is clear that the righteous will live by faith.  Because God says Abel was righteous it must be true that he obeyed out of faith.  Not because he thought he was worthy, but because he knew God was worthy.

¹ Paul Ellingworth, The Epistle to the Hebrews: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 1993), 566.