2 Cents

The author of The Shack, W.M. Paul Young, is out with a new book entitled Lies We Believe About God in which he seeks to unpack the theological lessons he was trying to convey in his wildly popular novel that just got made into a very successful (it seems) movie.

The "Lies"

In Conclusion...

I just finished reading Tim Keller's Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God's Work. I highly recommend it. Here are eleven quotes from the book to give you a taste of what's in this book.


"A job is a vocation only if someone else calls you to do it and you do it for them rather than for yourself. And so our work can be a calling only if it is reimagined as a mission of service to something beyond merely our own interests." (2)

"The fact that God put work in paradise is startling to us because we so often think of work as a necessary evil or even punishment. Yet we do not see work brought into our human story after the fall of Adam, as part of the resulting brokenness and curse; it is part of the blessedness of the garden of God." (23)

"Work is as much a basic human need as food, beauty, rest, friendship, prayer, and sexuality; it is not simply medicine but food for our soul. Without meaningful work we sense significant inner loss and emptiness. People who are cut off from work because of physical or other reasons quickly discover how much they need work to thrive emotionally, physically, and spiritually." (23)

"[God] could have just spoken the world and created millions of people in thousands of human settlements, but he didn't. He made it our job to develop and build this society." (44)

"The question regarding our choice of work is no longer 'What will make me the most money and give me the most status?' The question must now be 'How, with my existing abilities and opportunities, can I be of greatest service to other people, knowing what I do of God's will and of human need?'" (57)

"Since we already have in Christ the things other people work for - salvation, self-worth, a good conscience, and peace - now we may work simply to love God and our neighbors." (64)

"You should expect to be regularly frustrated in your work even though you may be in exactly the right vocation." (87)

"Work can convince you that you are working hard for your family and friends while you are being seduced through ambition to neglect them." (100)

"As Bible scholar Bruce Waltke points out, the Bible says that the very definition of righteous people is that they disadvantage themselves to advantage others, while 'the wicked... are willing to disadvantage the community to advantage themselves.'" (208)

"Anyone who cannot obey God's command to observe the Sabbath is a slave, even a self-imposed one... Sabbath is therefore a declaration of our freedom. It means you are not a slave - not to your culture's expectations, your family's hopes, your medical school's demands, not even to your own insecurities." (244)

"What if you're struggling under an unfair boss or a tedious job that doesn't take advantage of all your gifts? It's liberating to accept that God is fully aware of where you are at any moment and that by serving the work you've been given you are serving him." (250)

It's one of the biggest debates and most talked about issues of our time. It's not going away and Christians need to know what they believe and why they believe it.

In light of that... here are some books that I have found especially helpful in this area. These books have aided me in solidifying what I believe, helping me to understand all sides of the issue, and giving me a more firm grasp on the truth of the Bible when it comes to this subject.

Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert and Openness Unhindered - both by Rosaria Butterfield

Secret Thoughts exploded onto the Christian book scene a few years ago. It's Rosaria Butterfield's personal autobiography of how she went from being a tenured professor of women's studies and queer theory at Syracuse and spending 10 years in lesbian relationships, to then becoming a Christian after a local pastor responded to a newspaper article she wrote and started inviting her over for dinner and conversation with him and his wife.

In Openness Unhindered, Butterfield provides further thoughts on some questions she received after people had read her first book. She talks in-depth about God's design for human sexuality and how her faith plays out practically in her day-to-day life, which is much different from her life before her conversion.

Both books are easy reads and are filled with biblical truth. It also helps that this woman is an extraordinary writer.

Is God Anti-Gay? - Sam Allberry

This is a really short little book packed with biblical truth from a pastor who struggles with same-sex attraction. Allberry is single and celibate and makes as good a case as I've ever heard for why people are not "born gay" even when same-sex attraction desires may have been present in them from as far back as they can remember. He also has much to say on how churches and Christians can help people who struggle with same-sex attraction.

Transforming Homosexuality - Denny Burk and Heath Lambert

This book just came out last week and it's excellent. Both Burk and Lambert are on staff at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville. Burk provides much theological insight and scholarship while Lambert, who heads up the Association of Biblical Counselors, and teaches biblical counseling at the seminary, provides much of the counseling insight.

This book argues that change is possible for people who have homosexual desires, contrary to what secular culture tells us. They are emphatically not endorsing reparative therapy, which they reject strongly, but are simply showing from Scripture that the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ is enough to help anyone to change, including people who identify as gay or lesbian.

What Does the Bible Really Teach About Homosexuality? - Kevin DeYoung

This book takes a careful look at the biblical texts that mention homosexuality and examines what they teach and what they do not teach. DeYoung also responds to common objections against the traditional Christian teaching on homosexuality. This book is an easy read even while DeYoung is rigorous in his scholarship and biblical interpretation.

The Bible and Homosexual Practice - Robert Gagnon

For anyone who wants the most thorough and exhaustive biblical treatment on the subject, this is your book. This book is not easy reading. It's more scholarly. But more than any other it hits every biblical passage and examines all the possible interpretations. Gagnon is solid in his interpretation and he leaves no stone unturned. If you're up for 400-plus pages of theology, Greek, and commentary you will benefit from this. If not, just read DeYoung's book above.

The other day one of my professors from seminary posted this picture on the right. I immediately thought of prayers in our church services.

If you are called upon to lead others in prayer - whether during a church service, small group Bible study, Sunday school class, or whatever - don't be that guy or girl that preaches a small sermon disguised as a prayer.

Many of us have done this. I must say I have on numerous occasions. But when we do it makes prayer more about us than about God.

Prayer is a time for calling out to God and asking for his blessing. A time for adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. Not a time for showing everyone how much theology you know or teaching everyone what you've been learning in your Bible study. And it's certainly not a time for spouting off about your pet issue.

In Matt. 6:5 Jesus tells us not to be like those who pray so that others will see and hear and be impressed. Preaching mini-sermons during public prayers is Pharisee religion.

So when you pray... pray. Don't preach. Leave that to the preacher.

Last Sunday I preached on 2 Samuel 11:1-18... David's sin with Bathsheba and subsequent cover-up.
The message was titled "The Slippery Slope of Sexual Sin" and I gave 7 steps that together make up that slippery slope. Here they are.

Step #1: Idleness

In 2 Sam. 11:1 we read that David didn't go out to war, even though it was the time when kings go out to war. David stayed at home. He was alone and probably bored. Is this a sin in and of itself? No. But it brings us closer to sin than if we had something to invest our mind and our hands in. Down time is good and can be God-glorifying. But down time without a plan is dangerous and Satan wants to use that angst and itch you feel to satisfy your boredom against you.

Step #2: Lingering Glances

Did David sin in 2 Sam. 11:2? I don't think so. I think he just happened upon something he should have never seen. Happens to all of us from time to time. But the question is, What do we do immediately after we see what we shouldn't have seen? The implication in our passage is David didn't turn his eyes away. He continued to look.

Step #3: Lingering Thoughts

Lingering glances lead to lingering thoughts. Not only did David fail to turn his eyes away... he failed to turn his thoughts away.

Step #4: Fantasy

There's a difference between steps 3 and 4. In step #3 your thoughts are bombarding you, but you are still struggling against them. You still want to fight. Here in step #4, there's no fighting. Instead you let your thoughts run wild. You give in to them. David began to think to himself... What would it be like if...

Step #5: "Innocently" Stepping Toward the Fantasy

In 2 Sam. 11:3 David "innocently" sends someone to inquire about the woman. But the intentions of his heart were anything but innocent. It's no longer just in his head. He's made a move toward making the fantasy a reality. This is extremely dangerous territory. We can do this as well by doing something in real life that seems innocent to everyone else, but deep down we know what we're doing. We're testing the waters of sexual sin.

Step #6: Acting Out the Fantasy

You can't undo the damage of this one. Steps 2-5 are just as much sin as this one, but the damage here is permanent. Think of the damage David caused Bathsheba here... emotionally, spiritually. Not to mention she later tells him she's pregnant... with a baby not her husband's. Think of the damage this did to Uriah. He never finds out what happened, but David's sexual sin cost him his life.

Step #7: Cover Up

David tried everything he could to get Uriah to come home and sleep with his wife so everyone would think the baby was his. But it didn't work. So David had him killed. Then he took Bathsheba to be his own wife.

David could have confessed his initial sin, thrown himself on the mercy and grace of God, and dealt with the consequences. But he didn't. He tried to cover it up.

We have that choice too after our own sexual sins. And the lie of Satan is that covering it up will produce less pain and suffering than confession. But that's not true. Covering it up always produces more pain that coming clean.

If you're anywhere on this slippery slope... reach out for someone's hand before you fall farther down.

Well... as usually happens with me and blogging... I do it for a while and then I take an extended hiatus. After a good, prolonged break I feel like it's about time to start blogging once again. Not because my thoughts are necessarily that revelatory, but because I want to continue to help people know God through his word in all the different ways that I can.

Hope to post some good stuff beginning next week. For now, I've re-designed the blog and updated the "About Me" and "Recommended Reading" pages linked at the top.

See you soon!

In this series of blog posts we are examining Romans 9 - the chapter in the Bible most often used to prove Calvinism - to show that it does not actually support Calvinism at all.  You can read part one here, part two here, and part three here.

In today's post I'd like to examine Paul's use of Pharaoh as another Old Testament example of God unconditionally electing certain individuals to play special roles of service in his kingdom as opposed to God electing them for salvation or unconditionally condemning them to hell as Calvinism teaches.

Let's look at what Paul says in Romans 9:17-18:

(17) For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." (18) So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.

If you remember, in the book of Exodus, when God appeared to Moses in a burning bush and told him to go to Pharaoh and demand that he let God's people go, he also told Moses that he would harden Pharaoh's heart.

But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, Pharaoh will not listen to you.  Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment.  The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel form among them.  - Ex. 7:3-5

It will not do to say that Pharaoh only hardened his own heart.  Yes, the Bible mentions this happening, but it also mentions God actively hardening Pharaoh's heart in the passage above as well as in Ex. 9:12, Ex. 10:1, Ex. 11:10, and Ex. 14:8.

And as v. 18 says above, God hardens whomever he wills.

But does this necessitate that God condemned Pharaoh to hell?  Absolutely not.

Did you catch the reason why God hardened Pharaoh's heart?  Ex. 7:5 reveals it is because he wants the Egyptians to know that he is the Lord!  He wants to increase his glory among those people and 10 plagues will increase God's glory in their minds more than simply one and done (or perhaps succeed and proceed? Wink, wink).  The same idea can be seen above in Rom. 9:17.

So God hardens Pharaoh's heart so that he may bring more glory to himself.  This does not necessitate that Pharaoh automatically was condemned to hell because his heart was hardened for a short period of time.

Indeed Paul's entire point in Romans 9 is that God is not unjust in the way he has dealt with Israel because his unconditional election of them had nothing to do with salvation but only special service in his kingdom!

The same is true of Pharaoh.  Pharaoh was unconditionally elected for this very purpose - to serve as the heart-hardened villain in the God-glorifying story of the 10 Plagues and the Exodus.

As Rom. 9:21 clearly states,

Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?

While it might seem unfair that Pharaoh got unconditionally chosen to play the dishonorable part, it has nothing to do with Pharaoh's eternal destiny.  It was simply God's desire for him to play this certain part in his plan for history.

Finally, one thing that trips people up in our original passage above is verse 18.  Calvinists like to create an unnecessary dichotomy here placing on the one hand those on whom God has mercy and on the other those whom God hardens.  But this is a false choice and is unnecessary.

Could not these two actions of God (having mercy and hardening) be referring to the same individual or group?  Of course.  God could have mercy on someone and also harden them at different points in their lives.

Indeed this must have been the case with Pharaoh as God, in his mercy, did not strike him down despite his horrible treatment of God's chosen people as slaves.  God had mercy on him and also hardened him.

So the point of verse 18 is not that there are two different groups of people - one who receive unconditional election to salvation and the other who are hardened and condemned to hell.  The point is that God can use whomever he wills!

It does not matter if they have done good or bad.  It does not even matter if they are a believer or not.  God can unconditionally choose anyone he wants to serve in his plan for history.

Check back soon for more posts on why Romans 9 does not support Calvinism.  Special thanks to Dr. Jack Cottrell and his work in the College Press NIV Commentary on Romans.