What is “the love of God”?

When you ask people to define who God is, often the first thing they will say is “God is love.”  D.A. Carson says that “occasionally you will hear somebody saying something like this: ‘It’s Christians I don’t like.  I mean, God is love, and if everybody were just like Jesus, it would be wonderful.  Jesus said, ‘Judge not that you be not judged.’  You know, if we could all just be nonjudgmental and loving the way Jesus was loving, then the world would be a better place.’ 

There is an assumption there about the nature of love, isn’t there?  People wrongly assume that love is nonjudgmental.  It does not condemn anyone.  It lets everybody do whatever they want.  Now, it is true that Jesus does condemn the kind of judgment that is self-righteous or hypocritical.  But God’s love is no some sort of spongy sentimentalism that just winks at sin.

It is true that God is love, but it is also true that God is holy, just, righteous, and glorious. 

We will never understand God’s love and mercy without first understanding the seriousness of our sin and the justice of God’s wrath against us.  Jesus had a purpose in going to the cross; namely, to save people from condemnation that is already hanging over them (John 3:18, 36). 

One author writes: “if God were not just then there would be no demand for his Son to suffer and die; if he were not loving there would be no willingness for his Son to suffer and die.”  In his love, God meets the demands of his justice in the sacrificial work of His Son on the cross (John 3:16-18).  1 John 4:10 says “this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation (wrath-absorbing sacrifice) for our sins.”

If you are interested in talking more about “the love of God,” you are warmly invited to come and join us for our next Bible study, which takes place tomorrow night (Thursday, June 23) from 6:30 to 8 PM.  We meet at 9257 Amsden Way in Eden Prairie.  Our study will focus on John 3:16-21. 

What do you need?

As you think about that question, perhaps a number of things come to your mind—from the urgent to the mundane and everything in between.  You may think of your need for things like food, shelter, clothing, sleep, and relationships.  You may need your brakes fixed on your car or your air conditioner to be repaired.  You may need to visit the doctor because your child has an ear infection and is unable to sleep through the night.  The list goes on and on.

Physical needs such as food and shelter are of course very important.  While not neglecting those things, the Bible takes us further and talks about our greatest needs.  In my previous post, I mentioned that the Bible teaches that the God who is there has come to earth as the God-man, who is Jesus Christ.  How, precisely, does his coming help us?  D.A. Carson says that Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection addresses our three greatest needs:

1. We are sinners and we need to be reconciled to a holy and just God.
2. We need to be morally transformed.
3. We need all the effects of sin to be reversed and overcome.  This includes not only our relationships with one another but also death itself.

Jesus directly confronts all of these things.  Carson says “biblical Christianity is much more than simply making a decision for Jesus so that we can live happy lives.  We must be genuinely reconciled to the holy God who is there.  We ourselves must be transformed—in measure right now, and for the rest of our lives, and ultimately with the kind of thorough transformation that leaves no hint of self-centeredness.”  We need our greatest enemy to be destroyed, which is death itself.  And when this happens, we will be “swamped in sheer delight at the glory and centrality of God.”

How does Jesus address our three greatest needs?  At least in part, he does so by granting us new birth (John 3:1-21; 1 Peter 1:23-25).

If you are interested in talking more about “the new birth,” you are warmly invited to come and join us for our next Bible study, which takes place tomorrow night (Wednesday, June 8) from 6:30 to 8 PM.  We meet at 9257 Amsden Way in Eden Prairie.  Our study will focus on John 3:1-15. 

The God Who Becomes a Human Being

D.A. Carson writes: “In his 1903 book The Dynasts, Thomas Hardy describes God as “the dreaming, dark, dumb Thing that turns the handle of this idle show.”  Hardy’s God is not a person but a thing.  It is devoid of relationships, friendship, fellowship, warmth.  It is utterly silent (“dumb”); it cannot speak.  Yet in some ways it controls our lives, presumably in some sort of impersonal, amoral, purposeless, and fatalistic fashion, as it “turns the handle of this idle show.”

The God of the Bible, the God who is there, is not like that.  Though he is sovereign, he is also personal: he is presented as passionate, relational, warm, indignant, loving, wrathful.  Above all, he is the God who communicates—not only in spectacular events, and not only in nature (Psalm 19:1-2), but also in words that have been written down in the Bible.  So important is this category of “word” that eventually it is applied to the highest and greatest revelation of all: the revelation of God in the person of his Son, who is consequently called God’s Word, his self-expression.  For this Word “became flesh” (John 1:14).  Jesus is not merely a spokesperson for God, a kind of souped-up prophet; he is the explanation of God, the narrative of God, the exegesis of God (Hebrews 1:1-4).

In other words, while pondering the incarnation or wrestling with the doctrine of the Trinity, one must see that a huge claim to revelation is being made—the revelation of God.  If this is taken seriously, one can never again reduce Christianity to the level of mere ritual and popular religion: it is bound up with God becoming a man, with revelation of the most exquisitely high order.  Jesus cannot be reduced to the level of guru equivalent to other gurus.  He is utterly unique.”

If you are interested in talking more about the eternal Son of God who entered human history and became man, you are warmly invited to come and join us for our next Bible study, which takes place tomorrow night (Wednesday, May 25) from 6:30 to 8 PM.  We meet at 9257 Amsden Way in Eden Prairie.  Our study will focus on John 1:1-18. 

What song is in your head?

Music is a part of our daily life.  From ipods, to background music at Starbucks, to our favorite radio station, there is not a day that goes by without listening to a song or singing along to our favorite tune.  Many of these tunes get stuck in our head—whether we like it or not.  And many of the lyrics of the songs we sing affect our mood and our outlook on life.

Have you reflected on why we sing so much?  One person said “let me write the songs of a nation, and I care not who makes its laws.”  The shaping of our minds often takes place on the basis of what we are listening to on our ipods.  Music reflects the emotions and experiences of life, and it impacts us to the depth of our being.  Music stimulates our soul.

Music strikes a chord with our heart, mind, and emotions.  Music tends to bring to mind the memories and the experiences of life, from times of great joy, excitement, and happiness to moments of intense grief, mourning, and sadness.

If you are interested in talking more about these things, you are warmly invited to come and join us for our next Bible study, which takes place tonight from 6:30 to 8 PM.  We meet at 9257 Amsden Way in Eden Prairie.  Our study together is based on a book by D.A. Carson called The God Who is There.  Tonight we will talk about chapter 6, entitled “The God who is Unfathomably Wise.”  Our study will focus on Psalm 51. 

God has created us as musical creatures (although some are more “musically gifted” than others).  God has given us the gift of music to enjoy together.  In the Old Testament, of the 38,000 people who ministered at the temple in Jerusalem, 4,000 were musicians.  In today's culture, music is a part of the lives of God’s people throughout the week, and a crucial element to our corporate worship together on Sunday.

The God who is there—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—speaks to us in the Bible by way of song.  In fact, there are 150 songs in one book of the Bible.  That book is the Psalms, which reflect every emotion of the human heart.  One man said that “there is not an emotion of which any one can be conscious that is not here presented in the psalter as in a mirror.” 

The psalms speak of the entire range of human emotions for all circumstances of life.  We all go through times of joy, lamentation, repentance, discouragement, confusion, and frustration.  We can resonate with the emotions and experiences expressed in the psalms, including loss, shame, death, triumph, gladness, and thanksgiving.  The psalms allow us to express the genuine delight and struggles of our heart. 

The range of emotions in the psalter informs us on how to sing God’s Word.  We do not always feel joyful when we worship.  At times, the circumstances of life seem to overwhelm us and leave us feeling lonely or discouraged.  Singing the Psalter allows us to express the myriad feelings of our hearts. 

The psalms also point us to Christ.  The Word of God, from Genesis to Revelation, is God’s plan to redeem a people for himself through Christ.  We read the Bible with a Christ-colored lens, so as we sing the psalms we are expressing our gratitude to God for what he has done to save us from his holy, divine wrath through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. 

So, what song is in your head?  My prayer is that God’s Word will fill our hearts and minds, and that the words of the psalms are on our lips. “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!  Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (Psalm 103:1-2).

What is God's Kingdom?

We conjure up many different ideas in our minds when we hear a word like "king" or "kingdom".  Some may think of the recent royal wedding of Prince William and Kate.  Others think of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.  Depending on where we live, we have different perceptions of what we think of a “king.”

The Bible talks about a different sort of kingdom with a different kind of king.  If you would like to hear more about God's kingdom, you are warmly welcomed to come and join us for our next Bible study tomorrow night (Wednesday, April 27).  We will meet from 6:30 to 8 PM at 9257 Amsden Way in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.  Our time together will be spent in fellowship and discussion about God’s kingdom as we study 2 Samuel 7.

Our study is based on a book by D.A. Carson called The God Who is There.  Tomorrow night we will talk about chapter 5, entitled “The God Who Reigns.” 

We are in need of a certain kind of king.  A king who is “perfectly righteous, who cannot be corrupted, who is entirely good, in whom there is never any taint of evil.”  Jesus Christ is that King who inaugurated his kingdom in his first coming and has defeated death through his life, death, and resurrection. 

Jesus is now reigning in heaven at the right hand of the Father, and his kingdom continues to go forth as sinners are saved through the preaching of the gospel.  King Jesus will come again to consummate his kingdom when sin and death will be abolished and “God will be all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:28). 

So, what is God's kingdom?  The kingdom of God is the consummation of all things in perfect righteousness and holiness in the new heavens and new earth (Revelation 21:1-5).  Hail King Jesus!

Is There Evidence for Jesus' Resurrection?

Did Jesus truly rise from the dead?  Did Jesus’ biographers—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John—record actual historical events?  Were they capable historians?  These are just some of the many questions that arise in our minds as we read the Bible.

Check out this video by Dr. Peter Williams as he gives a summary of the biblical evidence for the heart of the Christian faith - Jesus' bodily resurrection.  Dr. Williams is the Warden of Tyndale House in Cambridge:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpJzWF4lnG0

As we read the Scriptures, it is evident that the gospel writers had access to eyewitness testimony.  We are to read the gospels as historically accurate and reliable documents.  As Christians, we rejoice in the promise of the historic, bodily resurrection of Christ each Lord's Day, including this coming Easter Sunday. 

The gospel itself is the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ.  If Christ did not rise from the dead, then Christianity is a sham.  But if Christ did rise bodily on the third day, then as Christians we have a certain hope that death has been defeated and we have the promise of the resurrection of our bodies and life eternal.

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul says:
¹³ But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.
¹⁴ And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.
¹⁷ And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.
¹⁹ If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
²⁰ But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
²¹ For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.
²² For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
²³ But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.
²⁴ Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.
²⁵ For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
²⁶ The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

⁵⁵ "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"

⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

⁵⁷ But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

What is God's Will for My Life?

What is one of the most commonly asked questions by restless teenagers, fearful young adults, successful businesspeople, lonely single-parents, and frail grandparents?  The answer is “what is God’s will for my life?” 

If you would like to hear more about God's will for your life, you are warmly welcomed to come and join us for our next Bible study tomorrow night (Wednesday, April 13).  We will meet from 6:30 to 8 PM at 9257 Amsden Way in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.  Our time together will be spent in fellowship and discussion about God's will for our lives as we study the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20. 

If you are interested in reading more about God's will for your life, see Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God’s Will by Kevin DeYoung.  DeYoung gives profound insight as well as biblical wisdom to struggling pilgrims living a life filled with emotional and physical sufferings in this present evil age. 
The problem, as DeYoung states, is that “our search for the will of God has become an accomplice in the postponement of growing up, a convenient out for the young (or old) Christian floating through life without direction or purpose. Too many of us have passed off our instability, inconsistency, and endless self-exploration as ‘looking for God's will,’ as if not making up our minds and meandering through life were marks of spiritual sensitivity.”  

DeYoung’s answer to this problem is that God is not a magic 8-ball, a cosmic genie, or a divine butler.  Rather, “we have no promise in Scripture that God will speak to us apart from the Spirit speaking through His Word” (Hebrews 1:1-3).  What a comfort to rest in God’s providence, which is “the almighty everywhere present power of God, whereby, as with His hand, He still upholds heaven and earth, and all creatures; and so governs them, that leaf and grass, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, food and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, indeed, all things come not by chance, but by His fatherly hand” (Heidelberg 27).    

So, what is God’s will for our lives?  DeYoung says we are not given step-by-step instructions in life, but we are to look to God’s word for guidance and wisdom.  In the Bible, we see that God’s will is for us to rejoice, pray, and give thanks (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).  Colossians 1:9 says we are to bear fruit and know God better by hiding his Word in our hearts that we might not sin against him (Psalm 119:11).  God’s will for his people is that we grow in holiness (1 Thessalonians 4:3), so we ought to pray that we will make decisions based on “faith, hope, and love—and not the praise of man and greed and selfish ambition.”