Ack! My mind hasn't stopped from last night's post, but rather it has crept toward the implications of this for baptism. Barth continues his critique of Protestantism that desires to "understand and pursue theology as pisteology, the science and doctrine of Christian faith. The Bible and Church history are then searched exclusively and decisively for witnesses and, if possible, heroes of faith. . . . As if man were called to believe and confess, not God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but the faith of the Church which expresses itself in these high-flown words, and finally in his very own faith."*
Though raised Lutheran, when I finally began to read the Bible on my own in college I became a rather convinced credobaptist, i.e., I believed that baptism represented our own personal faith-acknowledgment of our union with Christ and our profession of death to our old man and our new life in Christ. But baptism, like the Lord's Supper, is a "visible gospel," a sign pointing to the reality of God's new covenant with man completed in Christ. And the gospel is not, as mentioned yesterday, about me and my faith or the fact that I profess anything. The gospel is about Jesus Christ, incarnate, put to death, risen, ascended, and interceding. Baptism is entirely about him. It is not about pointing to ourselves and our newfound faith; it's not about saying, "I'm a new man." Rather, it's about the New Man, Jesus!
Sinclair Ferguson, a professor at Westminster Theological Seminary, writes thus on baptism: "Baptism is often viewed as if it were primarly a mirror of our spiritual experience of conversion, and as though its core significance were our testimony to our faith in Christ. It is thus interpreted as a sign of our response the gospel in conversion. . . . Rather, baptism is first and foremost a sign and seal of grace, of divine activity in Christ, and of the riches of his provision for us. It is not faith that is signified or sealed. It is Christ." He goes on to say that credobaptism "throws us back upon our own actions, decisions and experiences, and thus distorts the function of faith, which is to turn away from the resources and actions of the believer to the grace that is his or hers in Jesus Christ." **
Now, I don't want to knock anyone who was baptized as a believer; many of you had no choice as a child. But I want to encourage you to view your baptism not as joy or hope in your own faith, but as a source of joy and hope in the object of the gospel itself: the God of love, mercy, faithfulness, and grace, who has provided so abundantly for your sins and has drawn you to himself and will keep you there forever.
__________________________________
* Karl Barth, Evangelical Theology: An Introduction (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1963), 99.
** Sinclair B. Ferguson, The Holy Spirit (Contours of Christian Theology) (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 1996), 198-99.
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
BY GRACE (through faith)
"Remember this; or you may fall into error by fixing your minds so much upon the faith which is the channel of salvation as to forget the grace which is the fountain and source even of faith itself. Faith is the work of God's grace in us. 'No man comes to Me,' says Jesus, 'except the Father who sent Me draws him.' ... Grace is the first and last moving cause of salvation; and faith, essential as it is, is only an important part of the machinery which grace employs. We are saved 'through faith,' but salvation is 'by grace.'" - Charles H. Spurgeon
I came across this quote today at one of my favorite websites, Monergism.com, and all things came into a bit sharper focus concerning some of the ills that plague my life (and surely many others' lives as well). As an undergrad I remember feeling both awed and challenged by the "Faith Hall of Fame" in Hebrews 11. And I will not dare in the least to reduce the validity of all God-breathed Scripture as it stands. But who among us has not read this chapter or heard a sermon at church about some great act of faith or mighty women and men who knew their God and performed miracles and, as a result, felt inadequate or even began to question whether or not he really has 'enough' faith? Or if, as I believe the Bible teaches, we see earthly sanctification through faith in God and his promises,* then isn't our sin showing us we don't have enough faith? And if it's faith that saves, then are we even saved? We get weak in the knees and sick to our stomachs, suddenly finding ourselves fretting over our standing before God.
But faith doesn't save; Jesus Christ does. And it was never meant to turn us into perfectly holy heroes. As Spurgeon accurately states, "Grace is the first and last moving cause of salvation ... [faith] is only an important part of the machinery which grace employs." Jesus Christ, "full of grace" (John 1:14), is the Alpha and the Omega in our salvation. Such grace makes possible our gift of repentant faith and the perseverance thereof. Jesus will not break a bruised reed, those whose faith falters and wobbles when buffeted by the firest of life (Isaiah 42:3: 43:2; 46:4). Honestly, this year has seen a dear teammate and, to perhaps a lesser degree, me really wrestle with the reality of the presence and redeeming work of God. If a self-generated and -sustained faith and resultant acrobatic performances in piety and evangelism were necessary to 'see God in the land of the living,' we'd both have shipwrecked long ago. But to know that it is the pure covenant GRACE of a faithful God is the best of all promises. "For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust" (Psalm 103:14).
"It was never a desirable tendency to exalt faith into an ontic and central concept, displacing the real object of theology," writes Karl Barth, "as though faith were the theme and true event of salvation." ** Barth writes that the one true object of theology is the God of the Gospel, the new man, Jesus Christ. And the gospel is certainly no euangelion to me, no splendid news, if my own great faith and strength of conviction and resultant obedience are the foundation upon which all my hope rests.
*For an in-depth look at this, please refer to John Piper, The Purifying Power of Living by Faith in FUTURE GRACE (Sisters, Ore.: Multnomah, 1996).
** Karl Barth, Evangelical Theology: An Introduction (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1963), 99.
I came across this quote today at one of my favorite websites, Monergism.com, and all things came into a bit sharper focus concerning some of the ills that plague my life (and surely many others' lives as well). As an undergrad I remember feeling both awed and challenged by the "Faith Hall of Fame" in Hebrews 11. And I will not dare in the least to reduce the validity of all God-breathed Scripture as it stands. But who among us has not read this chapter or heard a sermon at church about some great act of faith or mighty women and men who knew their God and performed miracles and, as a result, felt inadequate or even began to question whether or not he really has 'enough' faith? Or if, as I believe the Bible teaches, we see earthly sanctification through faith in God and his promises,* then isn't our sin showing us we don't have enough faith? And if it's faith that saves, then are we even saved? We get weak in the knees and sick to our stomachs, suddenly finding ourselves fretting over our standing before God.
But faith doesn't save; Jesus Christ does. And it was never meant to turn us into perfectly holy heroes. As Spurgeon accurately states, "Grace is the first and last moving cause of salvation ... [faith] is only an important part of the machinery which grace employs." Jesus Christ, "full of grace" (John 1:14), is the Alpha and the Omega in our salvation. Such grace makes possible our gift of repentant faith and the perseverance thereof. Jesus will not break a bruised reed, those whose faith falters and wobbles when buffeted by the firest of life (Isaiah 42:3: 43:2; 46:4). Honestly, this year has seen a dear teammate and, to perhaps a lesser degree, me really wrestle with the reality of the presence and redeeming work of God. If a self-generated and -sustained faith and resultant acrobatic performances in piety and evangelism were necessary to 'see God in the land of the living,' we'd both have shipwrecked long ago. But to know that it is the pure covenant GRACE of a faithful God is the best of all promises. "For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust" (Psalm 103:14).
"It was never a desirable tendency to exalt faith into an ontic and central concept, displacing the real object of theology," writes Karl Barth, "as though faith were the theme and true event of salvation." ** Barth writes that the one true object of theology is the God of the Gospel, the new man, Jesus Christ. And the gospel is certainly no euangelion to me, no splendid news, if my own great faith and strength of conviction and resultant obedience are the foundation upon which all my hope rests.
*For an in-depth look at this, please refer to John Piper, The Purifying Power of Living by Faith in FUTURE GRACE (Sisters, Ore.: Multnomah, 1996).
** Karl Barth, Evangelical Theology: An Introduction (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1963), 99.
Saturday, March 11, 2006
It's about that time
It's March, which for most Michigan sports fans means it's time for another MSU romp through the NCAA men's basketball tournament. And my Spartans are looking good, having knocked off #9 Illinois 61-56. No, 22-10 isn't exactly stellar, but I've got high hopes for the boys in green. But for a guy like me, March means something even more important: Spring Training.You see, some of my first memories are of being outside with my dad in the garage during the summertime. While he would work on the car or mow the lawn, the slow, sweet southern voice of Ernie Harwell graced the airwaves on WSGW 790. I fell in love with Tigers baseball, even feeling transported to "The Corner" of Michigan and Trumbull while Ernie paused to let listeners hear the hot dog vendors or the crack of the bat. Oh, how I miss hearing of batters "standing there like a house by the side of the road" as strike three sailed past, or of home run balls that are "looonngg goonnee!"
Down in Lakeland, Florida, the Tigers (7-2) have been putting in the time getting ready for what (I hope!) will be their first .500 or above season since 1993. Can they do it? You bet. In recent Grapefruit League action, they trounced solid contenders the Dodgers 12-3 and the Yankees 6-1. While last year saw the long-awaited return of a solid starting rotation anchored by young upstart Jeremy Bonderman, and this year brings the addition of aging veteran Kenny Rogers. And if Placido Polanco (2B) keeps up his hitting that should've earned him the AL batting title last year, Chris Shelton (1B) and Craig Monroe (OF) continue to play solid ball, and Magglio Ordonez (OF) stays healthy, Motown could become a contender in the American League Central. It's time to Restore the Roar!
On another sports-related note, on Thursday we took many of the visiting spring breakers from MSU to the
Besiktas futbol match against Kayseri. We were treated to another showing from the raucous tarafta (loyal soccer fans) and a 2-0 victory by my Black Eagles. (Haydi kartal, haydi kartal, haydi! Gol zamani, gol zamani simdi!) But the coolest part of all came when we discovered our photo in two local newspapers. The accompanying caption said that fans from all over the world came to support Besiktas. They thought we were German (as seen by the Carsi Berlin scarf waved by someone in the foreground), Asian (Brent), and Afghani (Kahve)! It was hilarious and served as a great conversation starter the next day on campus. You can see me in the center near the back, wearing a white beanie and with a black and white scarf around my neck.No experience necessary
This past week spring break teams from Michigan State University and the University of Toledo were here to experience Turkish culture (or inasmuch as Istanbul represents Turkey) and spend time on campuses praying and talking with students. As the days went by, we had many good conversations and took advantage of opportunities to share the truth of Jesus with students. But when I asked spring breakers how their days were, some would inevitably say something like, "Yeah, I got to share the gospel with someone. I like doing it this way: [enter description of sharing the gospel here]. I think that really gets across the message well." Knowing that I probably once said the same thing, I held my tongue and was glad that the message was getting out.
You see, something I've been learning as a foreigner with the task of helping to guide university students to Christ is that I have no idea what the heck I'm doing. Seriously, the more I conversations I have, the less I feel like I have any clue what it actually means to successfully share the gospel with someone or have a "spiritual conversation". Sometimes when I felt like our conversation went nowhere, that student would call me up wanting to talk about it more, or perhaps he'd come to our weekly meeting. Other times, when I thought things went well, and I was able to help someone sort of understand something about God and his work, nothing would ever happen again.
But this is where the Holy Spirit comes in. Even this week I saw fruit coming from even the most stumbling, broken communication, and I'm even further convinced that all we can really do is cast seeds and prayerfully entrust God to cause them to grow. I mean, seriously, do you think that I can effectively communicate anything to a Turkish student? I barely speak the language, I've only lived here six months, I can't figure out what's going on half the time, and I don't know the culture. I'm as "outsider" as one can get. But it's precisely in this that I believe God gets the glory. Paul came not with "superiority of speech or of wisdom," but spoke "in weakness and in fear and in much trembling" of the cross of Christ so that people's faith "would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God" (1 Corinthians 2:1-5; cf. 2 Corinthians 4:7). And honestly, if it's not God's power that's at work here, not a thing will happen. If faith is something entirely from within man's will and intellect, then no one's ever going to understand and believe in Jesus on account of my measly, fumbling ways of trying to talk to people, no matter how many times we may meet up. And yet, somehow, God makes us adequate servants of others through whom people--even in Turkey--actually do come to believe (1 Corinthians 3:5; 2 Corinthians 3:5-6). Soli Deo gloria!
(On a side note, it has also been instructive, encouraging, and challenging to talk to Turks who became believers without ever talking to a Christian, but rather simply by reading the New Testament. This gives a little more punch to James 1:18 and 1 Peter 1:23)
You see, something I've been learning as a foreigner with the task of helping to guide university students to Christ is that I have no idea what the heck I'm doing. Seriously, the more I conversations I have, the less I feel like I have any clue what it actually means to successfully share the gospel with someone or have a "spiritual conversation". Sometimes when I felt like our conversation went nowhere, that student would call me up wanting to talk about it more, or perhaps he'd come to our weekly meeting. Other times, when I thought things went well, and I was able to help someone sort of understand something about God and his work, nothing would ever happen again.
But this is where the Holy Spirit comes in. Even this week I saw fruit coming from even the most stumbling, broken communication, and I'm even further convinced that all we can really do is cast seeds and prayerfully entrust God to cause them to grow. I mean, seriously, do you think that I can effectively communicate anything to a Turkish student? I barely speak the language, I've only lived here six months, I can't figure out what's going on half the time, and I don't know the culture. I'm as "outsider" as one can get. But it's precisely in this that I believe God gets the glory. Paul came not with "superiority of speech or of wisdom," but spoke "in weakness and in fear and in much trembling" of the cross of Christ so that people's faith "would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God" (1 Corinthians 2:1-5; cf. 2 Corinthians 4:7). And honestly, if it's not God's power that's at work here, not a thing will happen. If faith is something entirely from within man's will and intellect, then no one's ever going to understand and believe in Jesus on account of my measly, fumbling ways of trying to talk to people, no matter how many times we may meet up. And yet, somehow, God makes us adequate servants of others through whom people--even in Turkey--actually do come to believe (1 Corinthians 3:5; 2 Corinthians 3:5-6). Soli Deo gloria!
(On a side note, it has also been instructive, encouraging, and challenging to talk to Turks who became believers without ever talking to a Christian, but rather simply by reading the New Testament. This gives a little more punch to James 1:18 and 1 Peter 1:23)
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