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.

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)

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).

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

From Pastor Jason: Sunday Mornings Are Changing at Dwell!

Last night the elders and I sensed God’s leading to finalize our plans to end the Sunday morning gathering at Grant Academy. That means that on Sunday, August 4th we will begin to have a single weekly worship service at 9:30 AM at Dwell Willow Glen. We will continue to host a service at both the Children’s Recovery Center (CRC) and the Saratoga Subacute Facility (SSF) once a month. (In fact more exciting news is in the works concerning this important expression of our church. Stay tuned …) Though we are working on a few changes including Sunday morning times and scheduling in the fall, during the month of August we will stick with a 9:30 AM gathering and an 11:15 AM Sunday class hour for the entire Dwell family. 

Though on the surface this may seem like a significant shift in our approach to ministry I think it is best to view this change as a refinement of our primary purposes, and strategies used to accomplish those purposes. We are seeking to share Jesus with our neighbors in Willow Glen … on Sunday mornings, through Gospel Groups, various events, and especially in everyday life and work. We are also still seeking to share Jesus with our friends at the CRC and SSF … through prayer, consistent connections, and monthly gatherings. And we’ll continue to share Jesus with our neighbors and friends downtown … through a pioneering Gospel Group, various events, and in everyday life and work. As we dwell in Willow Glen, at the CRC, at the SSF, and in downtown San Jose we will continue to share Jesus. By God’s grace he will continue to build his church. And last time I checked, not even the gates of hades can hold him back.

Peace … 

Pastor Jason 

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Dwell still urgently needs help with Kids Club and the Harvest Carnival! Please be praying that God would provide for these needs. And if you are interested in either of these ministries, please email Noelle at office@dwellsj.com.

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.

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^{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.

A Brief Guide to Hebrews, 10:1-39

Overview

This chapter has two parts.  The first finishes the section (8:1-10:18) on the significance of Christ’s sacrifice which inaugurated the New Covenant.  The second works out the implications of Christ’s sacrifice for our lives (10:19-39).  The law was not able to bring spiritual transformation in a clean conscience; the sacrifices did not clean the internal stain of human sin.  Christ’s sacrifice accomplishes what the law and the sacrifices could not.  Thus, Christ’s sacrifice is unique because his offering was obedience and his own blood (10:1-18).  Obedience is what God always desired and this is what makes Jesus’ sacrifice applicable to everyone and effective for anyone.  Salvation comes through Jesus Christ alone because his sacrifice is utterly unique.  Because of this, we have the full assurance of faith to obey God in love (10:19-26).  But we must be careful not to reject it through continuing in sin (10:27-31).  This is the fourth warning of Hebrews and among the most difficult to unpack.  The warning is that to continue in sin with knowledge of the gospel is to be worthy of God’s judgment.  Unrepentant habitual disobedience reveals that one has rejected the gospel and is not a Christian.  However just like before, the writer of Hebrews trusts his readers are not those people (10:32-39).  Regardless of the positive characteristics he has seen they must continue to endure by faith.

The Implications of Christ’s unique sacrifice

Hebrews is not simply arguing for the superiority of Jesus Christ to Judaism, but to all religions and worldviews.  If salvation from the human condition and access to God can not be achieved through moral or spiritual accomplishments, then no religious devotion is good enough.  Christ’s sacrifice is “once for all,” (Heb. 10:10).  He offered his body up “for all time,” (10:12).  “By a single offering he has perfected for all time” those who are being saved (10:14).  The finality and sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice not only makes the old covenant sacrifices obsolete, it also means salvation is found in Christ alone.  The uniqueness of Christ’s sacrifice is what makes its reach so universal.  The hardest message to communicate today regarding Christianity (and the same one that got Christians martyred in the early church) is that Jesus Christ is the only savior.  He is not just the savior for Jews, but also for gentiles.  There is a plethora of reasons why people, and even Christians, do not want to believe this.  How can Jesus be the only way when he has not revealed himself to all?  God chooses whom he wills (Rom. 9).  Nevertheless, Paul argues this is why God saved us and called us to evangelism (Rom. 10).  How can all these good people who are so devoted to another faith be wrong?  Their problem is not just moral, but spiritual.  No one is righteous and no one does what is good (Rom. 3).  At the same time, God alone is the judge; he will judge people according to the light they have received (Rom. 2:12-16), and he will do this in light of who Jesus is.  Is it not arrogant to say you are saved and not any other person?  One has not understood Christian salvation if it has become a source of pride and not humility.  We are saved not by knowing more, or doing more, or by being good, but by grace alone through faith alone (Eph. 2:8-10) which enables us to do good.