Bound to the Gospel

Decisions, Decisions…Part 1

2011-08-12T15:08:00.001-04:00

This summer has been a season of especially difficult decisions for me. In order to understand the nature of these decisions, a little history is in order. For the last three years, I have been a student at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. My time in seminary has been far from typical however. The Lord worked a miracle on our behalf three years ago in order for us to attend seminary in the first place. I don’t say that lightly or flippantly. With Rachel’s health being as poor as it was at the time, we knew that I could not work a full time job to support my family and engage in seminary studies at the same time. Our home church in Georgia, Providence Church, offered to serve as a “sending agency” of sorts for us, and they helped us raise missionary-style support as a way to provide for our financial needs while I was in school. Within three months of sending out support letters, the Lord had provided enough money for us to move from Georgia to Louisville in order to attend seminary. It normally takes nearly three years to raise this level of support. To say that my time in seminary was a blessing and a privilege would be an unfathomable understatement.

From August 2008 until October 2010, our financial support remained fully sufficient to provide for our needs. Our support level fell to critical levels in November and December of 2010, and we petitioned the Lord, and our supporters, for additional help. The Lord, through the generosity of His people, again provided for our needs through July of this year. We knew, however, that we would need to do something different after July, and I still have two classes to complete in order to graduate in December. With Rachel’s deteriorating health as a constant backdrop to this entire discussion, we now arrive at the season of decision-making that this summer has become.

So, this was the situation in which we found ourselves: We did not have enough money to stay in Louisville, and I could not get a part-time job without having someone to help Rachel, William, and Adelaide for the times at which I would be working. Hiring that kind of help would defeat the purpose of getting a job! This meant that we needed to move. But where? There were two logical choices: Georgia, to be near Rachel’s family, or Minnesota, to be near my family. In Minnesota I discovered that there might be an apartment to rent for less than $400 per month. However, in the small town in which Dad lives, there are very few jobs. In Georgia, the rent would be significantly higher, but there are also more jobs available.

When it came time to decide what to do, I had been so busy with summer classes that I had not been able to find a job in either location, nor had I been able to find an apartment. At that point, there was not a single apartment or home to be rented anywhere near my Dad, and we certainly could not afford to rent an apartment in Georgia! After much prayer, and after seeking much counsel, I still felt as though I was spinning my wheels about what to do. We were faced with what I thought was an impossible situation. We did not have enough money to stay, and we did not have enough money to go. Since those two options are simultaneously mutually exclusive and fully exhaustive we had to make a choice.

So…how do you honor Christ in a decision like this? Ultimately, no matter what I chose, I knew I needed to act in faith. So, what does that look like? Should we stay in Louisville and trust God to provide the finances that we would need? Should we move to Minnesota and trust God to provide a place to live? Should we move to Georgia and trust God to provide both? How should I exercise faith in this situation? I want to be obedient to God, and I want to make decisions that are wise and pleasing in His sight. Of course, God did not simply speak to me directly and tell me what to do. Nor is there anywhere in the Bible that says, “Will, move to …!” There must be some biblical principle to apply.

My pastor was preaching through the “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews 11, and he came to verse 30, which says, “By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days” (NIV). This verse refers to the narrative in Joshua 6, in which the people of Israel defeated the walled city of Jericho. My pastor noted correctly that the grammar in Hebrews 11 shows the walls of Jericho themselves exercising faith. Of course, this is preposterous, so who then, was exercising faith, and how were they doing it? Certainly Joshua exercised faith; however, God actually physically appeared to him and audibly spoke to him. It would seem that obedient actions would be simpler to discern when God does this. Again, God did not just appear in a vision and tell me what to do, although I kind of wished that He would have! Joshua was not the only person who exercised faith in this narrative however.

The people of Israel exercised faith, and their exercise of faith applied in principle to my own. The people of Israel received no vision from God. They heard no voice. Imagine being an Israelite warrior listening to Joshua’s battle plan! (Read Joshua 6 for reference) Ultimately, the Israelites were in a situation in which they needed to conduct siege warfare. The typical procedure would have been to encamp the army around the walled city, and let no one in or out until the inhabitants starved or surrendered. It was a brutal process. Siege works designed to break down walled defenses were often built when an army had the wherewithal to do so. However, after wandering in the desert for 40 years, the Israelites were not equipped for this. So imagine their surprise when they heard Joshua’s battle plan:

“3 March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days.
4 Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams' horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets.
5 When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in." (Joshua 6:3-5 NIV)

Excuse me what?! Yeah, not likely. God, through Joshua, told His people to do something…well…stupid. Walking around in circles for a week and then yelling a lot is not tactically advanced siege warfare! Yet the people obeyed Joshua, and in so doing obeyed God, and exercised faith. The parallel to our situation was that no matter what we decided to do, it would be basically stupid! There was no “good” choice that made perfect sense nor any answer that accounted for all of the variables. The principle that I took away from this was basically this: when in doubt submit to your leaders. The specific application was that I asked the elders of Providence Church to discuss amongst themselves what they believed our best option would be. I would then submit to their leadership, and do whatever they advised. Of course, their advice was to return to Georgia. This was not an abdication of my own God-given responsibility to lead my family, but rather a recognition that I do not have exhaustive spiritual wisdom and insight in and of myself. I needed the help of the people of God to rightly discern the will of God.

We moved from Louisville to Georgia at the end of July in an act of submission to the authority of our spiritual leaders. In so doing, we trust that our move constituted an act of obedience and faith, and we believe that this was the only right thing to do.

Reminders of God’s Faithfulness

2010-11-09T16:18:00.001-05:00

Sometimes the problems in life seem almost insurmountable. I know it has been said before, but it is worth repeating that our perception of the size of our problems is inversely proportional to our understanding of the greatness of our God. Put another way, when your God is small your problems will seem big. When your God is big, your problems will pale in comparison.

I often need to be reminded of these simple truths. For me, life’s problems always seem smaller when I am outdoors. As I was walking home from class today, a couple of enormous oak trees here on Southern Seminary’s campus caught my attention. These trees are huge. They may well be 60 feet tall, and they are at least 4 feet in diameter, maybe more.

While these trees are certainly beautiful, and serve as a constant reminder of the creativity and artistry of our great Creator, their beauty was not what struck me today. It was their age. Now, I don’t have the slightest idea how old these trees are, but I do know that they were around long before I was born, and, should the Lord tarry, they will be around long after I die. It seems odd to me to worry about my life’s struggles when I am next to an ancient tree, for such trees serve as a testament to God’s faithfulness to His creation, and to His abundant provision. An oak tree has need for sunshine, nutrients from the soil, and adequate rain. An oak tree can do nothing to obtain these things for itself, and yet God provides for it. In fact, an oak tree is anchored to the ground. It cannot move itself to a more ideal location, nor does it need to do so. Year in and year out, God provides the right balance of sunlight, nutrients, and rain not so that the tree can merely survive, but also so that it can thrive, and out of its abundance support a host of other creatures as well. If God has faithfully provided in this way for a tree, whose value is infinitely less than that of any human being, we may rest assured that He will provide for us, if we continue to serve Him. Jesus says much the same thing in Matthew 6:25-34.

The next time you see a great tree, do not just pass by. Pause for a moment to consider the fact that the God who created this magnificent plant also sustains it day by day, season by season, year in and year out. This is the same God who demonstrates His love for us in the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ on a Roman Cross to pay the price for your sin and mine. This is the same God who commands us to humble ourselves by casting our cares upon Him because He cares for us! This is the same God who, because of the intercessory work of Christ on behalf of those who have put their faith in Him, commands us to draw near to His throne with confidence so that we might receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. The next time you see a great tree, remember the promise of Philippians 4:6-7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

God puts little (and sometimes really big!) reminders of His faithfulness in our paths every day. Let us not forget to notice them, and to thank Him for keeping us securely in His grasp even when life is hard.

THE RESURRECTION, THE LOCH NESS MONSTER, AND THE PARADOX OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY

2010-11-05T12:46:00.001-04:00

The Resurrection

Christianity is grounded in two fundamental presuppositions: the metaphysical presupposition of the reality of a supernatural Creator God, and the epistemological presupposition of the validity of eyewitness testimony. Specifically, the Christian faith is founded upon the belief that Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose again from the dead. Belief in the resurrection is predicated upon the metaphysical presupposition of a God who is able to create life, destroy life, and restore life again. Apart from this, the resurrection of Jesus is inexplicable. Furthermore, belief in the historicity of the resurrection is grounded in an epistemological commitment to the reliability of eyewitness testimony. 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, Luke 1:2, 2 Peter 1:16, and 1 John 1:1-3 all indicate the absolute necessity of eyewitness testimony to the resurrection of Jesus as the foundation of the Christian faith. I am going to argue that the epistemological framework of Christianity described above provides an intellectually consistent basis for the continued quest for the discovery of new species, while Darwinian Materialism does not.

The Loch Ness Monster

Let us take for our example the existence or non-existence of the Loch Ness Monster. Evolutionary biologists have long denied the possibility that such a creature could exist in Loch Ness. The arguments against the existence of the Loch Ness Monster primarily revolve around the fact that no one has ever been able to find the corpse of one of these animals. This is in fact very strong evidence against Nessie’s existence. If such creatures truly exist, then a breeding population must exist in order to perpetuate the species. If this is the case, then one should expect to find some physical evidence of such a population such as the remains of one or more dead animals. No such evidence has been found; therefore, the Loch Ness Monster is believed not to exist. Furthermore, eyewitness accounts of the Loch Ness Monster generally describe a creature which strongly resembles a Plesiosaurus or other similar marine reptile. The Plesiosaurus, according to typical evolutionary chronology, became extinct over 150 million years ago. Because the animal described by eyewitnesses has been extinct for an unfathomably long period of time, the eyewitnesses must be either mistaken or lying.

Arguments supporting the possibility of the existence of the Loch Ness Monster are far from unconvincing however. These arguments are based primarily on eyewitness testimony. Witnesses claim to have seen a large, swift-moving creature in Loch Ness with a long neck, small head, large fusiform body, and arching back. These reports seem to be consistent with fossilized remains of the Plesiosaurus. Sightings of Nessie are reputed to go back to the sixth century A.D. Certainly there have been false sightings which were later confirmed to be hoaxes; however, these are in the minority. Many sightings have come from well educated and well respected individuals who tend not to display other signs of insanity or stupidity. A few of these witnesses were at one time former skeptics who, in the process of seeking to disprove the creature’s existence, actually saw it for themselves. Furthermore, similar reports have come from similar ecological systems all over the world. Sightings of lake monsters consistent with those coming out of Scotland are also reported from Lake Champlain in Vermont, Lake Okanagan in British Columbia, and Nahuel Huapi Lake in Argentina, among other sightings ranging from China to Alaska. Each of the lakes in which such sightings have been reported are remarkably similar in terms of depth, clarity (or more accurately lack of clarity!), temperature, and biological diversity. The remarkable consistency of the accounts, that they are separated by huge geographical areas, and that they are attested to by witnesses both ancient and contemporary of diverse cultural backgrounds suggests that these stories contain an element of truth.

The Paradox Of Scientific Discovery

The question at hand is whether or not time, money, and energy should be spent searching for physical evidence of the Loch Ness Monster. By extension, should time, money, and energy be spent searching for physical evidence of any new or unknown species?

From a Christian perspective, the answer to these questions is quite obviously “yes.” In a Christian worldview, the universe was created by a personal, rational, powerful, and benevolent God who is still active in the world today. This God charged human beings with the task of ruling over “the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Gen 1:28). He therefore, also endowed human beings with reliable senses and the physical and intellectual abilities necessary for the accomplishment of that task. If this is true several consequences follow. First, until the earth is exhaustively explored, there remains a high likelihood that many new species exist which have yet to be documented by humanity. Second, eyewitness testimony is sufficient evidence to both allow for the possibility of the existence of unknown species, and to provide the impetus to search for such creatures with a high expectation of success. Third, if one holds to a Young Earth cosmology backed by a literal interpretation of the Genesis flood with its resultant catastrophic interpretation of geology, it is not difficult to imagine that many creatures thought to be long extinct might still be living in the unexplored places of the world. The discovery of the Coelacanth in the last century illustrates this possibility well. It is, therefore, epistemologically consistent for a Christian to endeavor to discover new species wherever they may be found, and to regard eyewitness testimony concerning the Loch Ness Monster and other unknown species as being basically reliable.

The Darwinist, however, cannot share the Christian’s optimistic appraisal of the situation while simultaneously retaining the intellectual consistency of his worldview. This is true for several reasons. According to Darwinian evolution, the human senses, along with our reason and all other aspects of our being, developed via an accidental and random process with no ultimate purpose in mind. Furthermore, this process is still going on. If this is true, then it may well be that both our senses and our reason still need several million years of evolutionary fine-tuning before they become reliable. Consider the radically divergent interpretations of reality offered by theists, atheists, polytheists, and pantheists. Each of these interpretations, on a materialistic understanding, must be the result of a synthesis of sense experience and reason, and yet they come to mutually exclusive conclusions. Human senses and reason, therefore, must not be developed enough to reliably interpret reality. For this reason the materialist is doomed to view the information gleaned from these sources with a high degree of skepticism.

Even if we grant to the Darwinist that his senses and reason are reliable, he would still be unable to believe in the existence of the Loch Ness Monster. According to David Hume, whose skeptical epistemology remains the standard for Darwinists, “A wise man, therefore, proportions his belief to the evidence” (Hume 2009, 573). What, then would qualify as sufficient evidence? Certainly not eyewitness testimony, for even if we grant that any single individual’s senses are reliable, it does not follow, on a naturalistic understanding, that any other individual’s senses are reliable. He may well be the first human in evolutionary history to have developed reliable senses, though he would have no way to know that. If so, the only reliable eyewitness testimony with regard to any given event would be his own, unless by chance he were to pass this reliability on to his offspring.

Apart from the fact that the epistemic condition of Darwinism is limited to individual sense experience of unknowable reliability accompanied by an equally dubious ability to reason, there are other issues which plague this worldview. In a naturalistic construct, the world is governed only by inviolable natural laws, of which evolution is considered one. In the case of the Loch Ness monster, it would be a violation of natural law, according to evolutionary models, for such a creature to exist today because they died out 150 million years ago, ostensibly to make room for other, better adapted creatures. According to Hume, the existence of a plesiosaur would constitute a miracle, for he defines a miracle as follows, “A miracle is a violation of the laws of nature” (Hume 2009, 574). If this is true, then Hume’s skeptical maxim would surely apply, “That no testimony is sufficient to establish a miracle, unless the testimony be of such a kind, that its falsehood would be more miraculous than the fact, which it endeavors to establish” (Hume 2009, 575). Certainly, according to this criterion, it would be more miraculous for the Loch Ness Monster to exist than it would be that the eyewitnesses were either mistaken or lying. If this is true, and one must proportion his belief to the evidence, then it is impossible to believe that the Loch Ness Monster actually exists. Since it would be absolutely inconsistent to search for a creature that one knows not to exist, no expedition to search for the Loch Ness Monster could ever be justified from a Darwinian perspective.

What about the search for other species? It would not be any less miraculous, from an evolutionary standpoint, that any undiscovered species exists than that the Loch Ness Monster exists. This is because life itself violates a law of nature, that is the second law of thermodynamics. “According to the second law,” says Daniel Dennett, “the universe is unwinding out of a more ordered state into the ultimately disordered state known as the heat death of the universe. What then are living things? They are things that defy this crumbling into dust” (Dennett 2009, 618). By Hume’s definition then, life constitutes a miracle. It would, however, be more miraculous that this miracle be false than it would that it be true since no one can sensibly argue that he does not exist. Therefore, it seems that the materialist can consistently conclude that life exists in spite of its miraculous nature.

Since any life is a miracle, however, it is highly unlikely that any life exists apart from that which any individual person has observed. In order to appreciate the probability of a single new species being produced by random chance, let us consider the probability of a single gene being so arranged:

Let's take a look at the time it would take for one simple gene to arrange itself by chance…let us use as many sets as there are atoms in the universe. Let us give chance the unbelievable number of attempts of eight trillion tries per second in each set! At this speed on average it would take l0¹⁴⁷ years to obtain just one stable gene. What does this number really mean?...Let’s assume that [an amoeba] is given the task of carrying matter, one atom at a time from one edge of the universe to the other (thought to be about thirty billion light years in diameter). Let's further assume that this amoeba moves at the incredible slow pace of one Angstrom (about the diameter of a hydrogen atom) every fifteen billion years…How much matter could this amoeba carry in this time calculated to arrange just one usable gene by chance? The answer is that he would be able to carry 2 x 10²¹ complete universes! (Ex Nihilo 1978, 9-10)

In the face of such odds, the fact is that the evidence stands decisively against the existence of any life apart from the experience of any one individual. If one must proportion his belief to the evidence, then it is clear that in a materialistic epistemology, one is obligated not to believe in even the possibility of the existence of unknown species. It is therefore intellectually inconsistent for anyone who holds to a materialistic worldview to engage in the search for new species.

Christian epistemology, with its purposeful benevolent Creator, and its ability to take eyewitness testimony seriously, provides a much more consistent intellectual framework for the quest of science than does Darwinism. It is ironic that Darwinism fails miserably at that which it claims to do best: discover and catalog new species. Also ironic is the fact that Darwinists, due to their inherent skepticism toward eyewitness testimony, simultaneously deny the existence of the Loch Ness Monster, because they have not found a corpse, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, because they likewise cannot hope to find one.

SHEPHERDS IN THE IMAGE OF GOD: A PHILOSOPHY OF CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP

2010-11-01T12:49:00.001-04:00

The nature of Christian leadership has long been the subject of much debate. From the Roman Catholic Church’s immaculately structured leadership hierarchy to the nearly leaderless structure of groups such as the Quakers and some charismatic assemblies, the form, function, and even nature of leadership varies widely among those who would claim to be Christians. Even in evangelical circles there seems to be a sense of confusion as to what Christian leadership entails and how that leadership is to be carried out. This paper will attempt to construct a very brief biblical theology of leadership, and apply the principles of that theology to the practice of Christian leadership in general and pastoral leadership in particular. Five elements of Christian leadership will be examined: 1) the foundation for leadership, 2) the function of leadership, 3) the form of leadership, 4) fitness for leadership, and, if you will excuse the strained alliteration, 5) the finish line (goal) of leadership. My definition of Christian leadership based on this study is as follows: Christian leadership is a stewardship of the authority of God given to a servant of God who displays the character of God to shepherd the people of God in order that they might be increasingly conformed to the image of God in Christ.

Foundation for leadership: Stewardship of the authority of God

The Westminster Shorter Catechism famously states that the chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. If this is the chief end of man, how is this accomplished? I would argue that the answer to this question is found in Genesis 1:26, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’” The Hebrew verb form used here is intended to communicate purpose. God created man in His image and in His likeness so that he would “rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” God’s initial design for humanity was not that they would achieve a certain state of being, but rather that they would be able, by virtue of the image of God within them, to actively rule as His vice-regents over the good creation that He had made. This vice-regency of man over creation forms the basis of all human authority, and it is through the proper exercise of that authority that man fulfills his God-given purpose thereby bringing glory to his Creator.

Man’s ability to do this, however, has been dramatically damaged by sin precisely because the image of God in man has been marred. In Christ, however, the image of God in man is redeemed, and the restoration of man in the image of God has begun. In Christ the believer is enabled to exercise stewardship over the authority given to him by God. Furthermore, for the Christian, vice-regency takes on an eternal dimension. II Timothy 2:11-12a says, “It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; If we endure, we will also reign with Him.” In some way, believers will reign with Christ eschatologically. Paul also says in I Corinthians 6:3 that believers will one day judge angels. It must be remembered that human beings, not angels, are the pinnacle of God’s creation, and though this hierarchy has been marred by sin, it will one day be restored. As Christians we must learn to be good stewards of the authority that God has given to us now in order that we might be trusted to do the same in a greater capacity in eternity.

Function of leadership: To shepherd the people of God

The predominant metaphor for leadership in the Bible is the that of the shepherd. In the New Testament, leaders in the church are called elders or overseers, and these men are commanded to shepherd the flock of God. The word for “shepherd” is used as a noun only once in the New Testament, and that is in Ephesians 4:11. In every other instance, the word is used as a verb. In other words, as it pertains to Christian leadership, shepherding refers to what the Christian leader does.

This metaphor vividly illustrates both the function of the Christian leader, and the infinite value of those whom God has entrusted to him. The value of the those being led is seen in the fact that they are always referred to as the “flock of God.” The church does not belong to the pastor; the church belongs to God. In Acts 20:28, Paul makes this even more clear when he commands the elders of the Ephesian church to “shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” God purchased the church with His own blood. This is the flock that God has entrusted to the Christian leader. The value of each Christian, made in the image of God and bought by the blood of Christ, cannot be overestimated. As Christian leaders we must never treat the people of God in any way that fails to consider their infinite worth before our Holy Judge.

The shepherd metaphor for leadership is beautifully portrayed by David in Psalm 23 and dramatically illustrated both positively and negatively in Ezekiel 34. Some of the duties of the shepherd taken from these passages include providing the sheep with food, water, rest, guidance, and safety, strengthening the sick, healing the diseased, binding up the broken, bringing back the scattered, and seeking after the lost. In terms of the day to day functions of the Christian leaders, this translates into preaching and teaching the Word of God, providing vision and direction for the church, praying diligently for the church, protecting the church from attacks both spiritual and physical, equipping the families of the church to function as God’s Word prescribes, providing discipleship for individuals in the church, exercising church discipline, providing biblical counsel for the church, engaging in evangelism, and equipping the saints for the work of ministry.

Form of leadership: The Servanthood of Christ

By form I am referring to the pattern for Christian leadership. Jesus Christ Himself is the one after whom we must pattern our leadership ministry. There is both an external and an internal manifestation of this patterning of leadership after Christ. Externally, patterning Christian leadership after Christ means adopting a biblical church polity. Because of the plural nature of the elders in passages such as Ephesians 4:11-16, Acts 20:28-31, and I Peter 5:1-4, it is my conviction that churches should have a plurality of elders, and that these elders are responsible, both individually and corporately, for shepherding the church. This is patterned after Christ in that Christ is God and the second person of the Godhead. In the Trinity we see the ultimate expression of both unity and plurality in leadership. We also see distinction in roles between The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and we see the submission of the Son to the Father, and the glorification of the Son through the Spirit and the Father through the Son. As we establish a plurality of elders in the local church, it is important to understand that there will be one among this plurality who should be considered a “first among equals.” While each elder may each share equality of position, it is a reflection of our Trinitarian God that they should have differing roles and that one among their number be recognized as the head of the group.

Internally, patterning Christian leadership after Christ means adopting the mindset of Christ, which is that of a servant. In Philippians 2:5-8 Paul commands his readers to “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Jesus himself said this in Matthew 20:25-28, “But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. "It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." Isaiah 53 prophesies about Jesus that He would be a servant who would suffer for the sins of His people. The paradox of Christian leadership is that it entails both real authority and real servitude. The Christian leader is to exercise stewardship of the authority given to him by God himself, but this is not to be done for the leader’s benefit. Rather it is to be done in an attitude of humble and joyful obedience to God for the benefit of those whom he leads. The Christian leader has authority to serve.

Fitness for leadership: Displaying the character of God

There are two primary areas that determine the fitness of the servant of God for Christian leadership. The first is character, and the second is competency. Godly character is essential for the Christian leader. Considering the paradoxical nature and heart-stopping gravity of the task of Christian leadership, it is easy to see why this would be so critical! The Christian leader is responsible for the spiritual well-being of those entrusted to his care, but yet he ultimately cannot control the spiritual growth of his people, neither can he force his people into maturity. Yet there is a deeper reason. Paul lists several qualifications for Christian leadership in I Timothy 3:2-7 and Titus 1:6-9. I would supplement that list with the character traits listed in Galatians 5:22-23, Colossians 2:12-14, and II Peter 1:5-7. As we examine these lists it becomes apparent that many of the character traits are also held in absolute perfection by God Himself. Galatians 5:22-23 lists the fruit of the Spirit of God Himself. The leader is to be characterized by these qualities because he is to be a model of Christ-likeness to his people. Jesus Christ showed the world definitively what the image of God in man was meant to look like. As we become more completely conformed to the image of Christ, the power of sin and the horror of the curse are increasingly diminished in our lives, and we are increasingly enabled to fulfill the purposes for which God created us in His Image in the first place! We thereby bring glory to God!

Though the majority of the qualifications for Christian leadership are qualifications of character, there are two primary competencies that are also necessary for this high and holy calling. First, the Christian leader must be able to teach. As mentioned above in our discussion of the function of the leader, teaching is a major part of the shepherding role of the Christian leader. In Titus 1:9 Paul expands upon what he said in I Timothy 3. Here he equates teaching with “holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.” The Christian leader must know the Word of God, and be able to explain it, expound it, preach it, defend it against all opposition, and apply it to the lives of the people under his care. Second, he must be able to manage his household well. The Christian leader must faithfully carry out his God-given stewardship of authority to shepherd his family before he is qualified to shepherd the precious flock of God. Some would argue about single men and their qualification for ministry saying that this point must not apply to them. However, these men still “go home” at night somewhere. Their faithfulness with all that God has entrusted to them can and must still be evaluated before they can be considered eligible for Christian leadership.

Finish line of leadership: Conformity to the image of God. Christian leaders are servants of God who display the character of God and who are stewards of the authority of God to shepherd the people of God so that they might become increasingly conformed to the image of God. The goal of Christian leadership is the sanctification of both the leader and the led. Paul says in Colossians 1:28-29, “We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.” For Paul, the purpose of his ministry was to present every man complete in Christ. Indeed in Ephesians 4:12-14, the goal that Paul has in mind is again the complete maturity of the body of Christ.

An aspect of sanctification that is almost entirely overlooked in Christian circles, especially in America, is that of Christian suffering. If we are to be conformed to the image of Christ we must remember that He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Peter deals extensively with the fact of suffering in his first epistle. Peter seems to think that suffering will be the rule for Christians rather than the exception, and he bases this on the fact that we will be conformed to Christ’s suffering. Notice that our reigning with Christ in II Timothy 2:12 is contingent upon our endurance of suffering. In II Corinthians 11:23-28, Paul gives a catalogue of his sufferings as evidence of the genuineness of his apostleship. The process of sanctification involves crucifying oneself to his or her own desires on a daily basis. This must be understood as a painful process. It was for Paul’s sanctification that God gave him a “thorn in the flesh.” Whatever the nature of the thorn, the fact is that Paul suffered intensely, and this suffering was for the sake of his sanctification. As Christian leaders, if we wish to reach the goal of our leadership, which is the complete sanctification of the people whom God has entrusted to us, we must be prepared both to suffer ourselves, and to prepare our people for suffering. If we are to be faithful stewards of the authority of God given to us to shepherd His people, our goal must be to present each member of the flock of God under our care to his or her Great Shepherd complete, mature, holy and blameless in his sight. If we are to do this, we must prepare people to suffer with patience, perseverance, joy, thanksgiving, and the hope of eternity.

Christian leadership, again, is a stewardship of the authority of God given to a servant of God who displays the character of God to shepherd the people of God in order that they might be increasingly conformed to the image of God. God made us in His image so that we might be His vice regents on earth. He made us in His image so that we might be leaders. He redeemed us out of our sinful state so that His image might be restored in us, and so that we might lead others to be conformed to His image as well. This is the task to which we have been called, and it is the highest calling that can be given to man.

It’s The End Of The World As We Know It, And I Feel Fine

2010-04-29T08:50:00.002-04:00

About two weeks ago, my son and I accompanied some friends of ours to the Thunder Over Louisville air show. The planes were truly amazing. I had never seen anything like it. We ended up watching the fireworks display at home on television. Even though the display was less impressive on television than it would have been in person, I was truly astonished.

The reason that we watched the fireworks display on television instead of watching it in person is that my wife has a degenerative neurological disorder that renders her body incapable of regulating her temperature well enough for her to adjust to sitting outside on a chilly evening. It also makes her hypersensitive to light, touch, and noise. A fireworks display in person would so overwhelm her senses that it would take several days for her to recover. Primarily, the disorder leaves her in a constant state of extreme fatigue, much like one would experience after working long hours for an extended period of time on very little sleep. I share all of this because as we watched the fireworks that night, I couldn’t help but glance over at the figure of my wife stretched out in her recliner, unable to sit straight up, and think: “All of this fanfare to celebrate a two minute horse race?”

As Christians we have something to celebrate that far exceeds the Kentucky Derby. We look to the Cross, and to our resurrected Savior, and in Him we see the answer to all of life’s problems. The promise of Heaven in Revelation 21 and 22 could not be more beautiful to one who suffers as my wife does. Our Savior promises to dwell among us in a way that we have only a taste of now with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. He promises that there will be no more death, or mourning, or crying, or pain. In Revelations 22:3 God promises that there will no longer be any curse. I Corinthians 15:35-57 details the promise of the resurrection bodies that believers will receive. The promises of new bodies that do not get sick, or old, or weak, and of a new heaven and a new earth unblemished by the curse and by sin, and of eternal life in communion with the Creator of the universe are the hope of the believer in Jesus Christ.

I don’t think that this hope can be properly understood apart from the suffering that exists now. If there were no suffering, crying, death, pain, or sickness now, what hope would those very things be able to give us? As Paul says, “Who hopes for what he already sees?” (Romans 8:24).

When I first met my wife, she was an outdoor enthusiast. She had been a competitive swimmer, an ice skater and ice skating teacher, and a rock climber. She would go camping, hiking, and cross-country skiing. She would even play a little football. Tuesday night I had to carry her from the house where our community group meets out to our van because she was too weak to safely navigate the six or seven stairs from their front porch to the ground. She would love to be able to cook, clean, shop, and a host of other things that healthy women do for their husbands, but she cannot. There is no effective treatment for her disorder, and so little is known about it that no accurate prognosis can even be given. Her life expectancy may well be the same as that of any normal person, or it may be shorter. No one knows. What that means is that we must deal with the fact that she may live a long life in this condition without any hope of getting better.

Without the Christian’s hope of Heaven as described in the last chapters of Revelation, our lives would be bitter indeed. My wife is not able to do many of the things that she would like to do in this life. As her husband, I myself am limited in what I am able to do because her care is my constant priority. However, we, like so many before us, and like so many with us, and like so many who will come after us, are looking not to this life for hope, but rather to “the city which has foundations whose architect and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:10, Revelation 21:9-27). We seek to glorify Him in the midst of suffering now, as we wait for the consummation of our redemption.

It is the hope of Heaven that gives the suffering of this life meaning. It is the hope of Heaven that gives the Christian the endurance to carry on in the midst of trials. It is the hope of Heaven that allows Paul to say:

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2Co 4:16-18 NIV)

This hope, that is glimpsed in Revelation 19-22, is something worth celebrating! While the world celebrates momentary things that have no real significance, let us not forget to celebrate the fact that in the resurrection of Christ we have the hope of eternal life, the source of ultimate significance. On that day, at the end of the Millennium, when Christ has vanquished every foe, when Satan, Death, and Hades are cast into the lake of fire, and when the old order of things passes away, we will be able to say, “It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine.” Actually, more like “glorious!”

The Rapture and the Tribulation

2010-04-13T10:44:00.004-04:00

I recently had the opportunity to write a paper on the Rapture for my Systematic Theology class. The Rapture is a topic that I have refrained from commenting on for years because I have not, up to this point, studied it sufficiently. I have long wanted to look into these issues and come to some conclusion for myself. When I saw on the class syllabus that the relationship between the Rapture and the Tribulation was an optional topic for the position paper, I knew the time had come to stop making excuses and commit myself to studying these things until I had come to some sort of conclusion. Any position that one holds on the Rapture and Tribulation must be held with an open hand. While it is true that scripture is perspicuous (clear), it is also true that scripture is not equally clear in all areas of doctrine. On matters of creation, salvation, and the nature of God and man for example, the Word of God is abundantly clear. On this issue, however, scripture is significantly less clear. The following represents the view which I believe best explains all of the scriptural data. I may well be wrong, but at this point, this is my view. I owe a BIG thank-you to my wife Rachel for being a sounding board for me during this process (I have a tendency to be a bore when I am so focused on something, and yet she STILL loves me!!), and for proof-reading the paper for me. I also owe a BIG thank-you to Rachel's sister Krista who took care of my family while I was in the library studying these things all last week. I also owe a BIG thank-you to my Dad for refining my ideas through fire, and for proof-reading as well. Of course, I owe the BIGGEST thank-you to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for the illumination of His Holy Spirit, and an apology to Him as well if I have in any way misinterpreted His Holy Word. SO, THANKS everybody!! Please note that this paper had some serious page-length restrictions, and that it in no way discusses everything that could be discussed. I hope many of you find this helpful. Observing these caveats, enjoy the paper, be encouraged to look into the Word of God for yourself, and hold to the conclusions that the fruit your own study suggests.

AN ARGUMENT FOR

A MIDTRIBULATIONAL RAPTURE

Issue

The issue that will be dealt with in this paper is the relationship between the Tribulation and the Rapture of the church. More specifically, this paper will attempt to answer the question, when will the Rapture of the church occur: before, during, or after the time of suffering known as the Tribulation? This is a question which has fueled much significant, and often heated, debate over the years. It must be remembered that this is a debate which is confined to the ranks of Premillennial theologians. This allows for a few basic tenets of doctrine to be presupposed in the discussion. Most notable is the underlying assumption that Daniel 9 and the book of Revelation pertain to the future, and that the latter provides details concerning the fulfillment of the former. Ultimately, due to a lack of perfect scriptural clarity on this issue, a Christian may legitimately hold to any of these three views without departing from the ranks of orthodoxy. That being said, I believe that there is one view which seems to be more scripturally plausible than the others, and which I personally find to be intellectually satisfying.

Positions

There are three main positions regarding the timing of the Rapture, the posttribulational view, the pretribulational view, and the midtribulational view. The posttribulational view, which is held by many covenant theologians, and which was the predominant view until the middle of the nineteenth century, understands the Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ just prior to the Millennium to be a single unitary event (Erickson 1998, 146). Wayne Grudem summarizes this view by saying, “After that time of Tribulation, at the end of the church age, Christ will return to earth to establish a millennial kingdom. When he comes back, believers who have died will be raised from the dead, their bodies will be reunited with their spirits, and these believers will reign with Christ on earth for one thousand years” [emphasis in original] (Grudem 1994, 1112).

While this position certainly simplifies eschatological chronology, it fails, in my view, to ascribe adequate significance to 1 Thessalonians 4:17. Millard Erickson says, “Posttribulationists do not believe that the rapture will follow the tribulation, for they do not use the terms rapture and translation (neither of which is a Biblical term)” [emphasis in original] (Erickson 1998, 145). Neither is “Trinity” a biblical word, yet the concept is clearly taught in scripture. Furthermore, the Greek word “ἁρπαγησόμεθα” in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, which we translate “caught up” is translated by the Latin word “rapiemur,” from which we derive the word “rapture.” “Rapture,” therefore, is a biblical word, and the concept is most certainly taught in 1 Thessalonians 4.

The second major view is the pretribulational view, which finds its genesis in the thought of John Nelson Darby, and which has been popularized by the Schofield Study Bible and dispensational theologians generally. According to the pretribulational view, the Rapture of the church will occur before the Tribulation. Pretribulationism, therefore, understands the Rapture to be fully distinct from the Second Coming of Christ. “Pretribulationism holds that Christ’s coming for His saints will be in the air before the Tribulation; after the Tribulation, Christ will come with His saints and to earth to reign for a thousand years” [emphasis in original] (Geisler 2005, 612). Pretribulationists view Daniel’s seventy “sevens” as seventy literal seven year periods which are appointed for the Jewish people as a nation. The last of these periods is identified as the Tribulation. Since the seventy “sevens” are meant for the Jews as a nation, and not for the church, there is no need for the church to be present during the last “seven,” which is the Tribulation.

While there is much to commend this view, I believe that it falls short on several levels. First, it fails to properly distinguish between the Tribulation and the wrath of God. Second, it fails to properly distinguish between the seventieth week of Daniel and the Great Tribulation. Third, and this is true of posttribulationism as well, it fails to provide a plausible identification of the Rapture within the book of Revelation.

The third major view on this issue is midtribulationism. This view is the most historically recent of the three views. In terms of the number of adherents, midtribulationism is really a very minor view when compared the either the pretribulational or posttribulational position. The basic tenet of midtribulationism is that the Rapture of the church will occur in the middle of Daniel’s seventieth week. One of the strengths of this view is that it provides a plausible point of identification of the Rapture in the book of Revelation. Midtribulationism shares some aspects of both pretribulationism and posttribulationism. Like pretribulationism, midtribulationism views the Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ as two distinct and chronologically separate events. Also like pretribulationism, midtribulationism understands the seventy “sevens” of Daniel to be seventy literal seven year periods in which God is dealing primarily with Israel. Midtribulationism, however, confines the wrath of God to the last three and one half years of Daniel’s seventieth week. Like posttribulationism, midtribulationism rejects the notion of the signless “any moment” imminence of the Rapture, preferring to live in the tension of passages which describe signs of the Second Coming, and those which command the followers of Christ to be prepared because we do not know when Christ will return. I believe that this view provides the most plausible interpretation of the scriptural teaching on the relationship between the Rapture of the church and the great Tribulation.

Support

There are at least three characteristics of a midtribulational view of the Rapture which I believe make it the most scripturally plausible view. First, a midtribulational view understands the Rapture to be a significant literal event. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, the primary scripture passage which clearly describes the Rapture, clearly indicates that the Rapture will entail that all Christians, alive or dead, be caught up into the clouds to meet the Lord in the air in imperishable resurrection bodies. Both the pretribulational and midtribulational views of the Rapture allow for this to be fulfilled literally. All three Tribulational views maintain that Revelation 19 describes the Second Coming of Christ. There is no indication in that passage of any meeting the Lord in the air. Revelation 19 describes only the descent of Christ to earth to judge his enemies, and avenge the blood of his saints. This is a problem for a posttribulationist understanding of the Rapture. Therefore, the posttribulationist will point to the resurrection in Revelation 20 as the Rapture spoken of in 1 Thessalonians, but that would imply that the Rapture follows the Second Coming, and furthermore eliminates any notion of meeting the Lord in the air. If this is true, it would effectively eliminate any real significance from the doctrine of the Rapture, equating it with the Millennial resurrection. On this point, the pretribulationist and I are in full and hearty agreement.

A second advantage of the midtribulational view is that it rightly distinguishes the Tribulation viewed as a whole from the wrath of God. A point of agreement between the three views is that the church will not be the object of the wrath of God. Indeed, 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:9, and Romans 5:9 clearly indicate that the church will not be the object of the wrath of God. While the posttribulationist understands God to preserve his people through the time of wrath, both the pretribulationist and the midtribulationist understand God to remove his people from that time of wrath. For the latter two positions, the difference lies in when the wrath of God is believed to be made manifest.

According to Paul Feinberg, “it is [the pretribulationists’] contention that the whole, not just a part, of the seventieth week is a time of divine wrath” [emphasis in original] (Feinberg et al. 1984, 58). In other words, the entire seventieth week, which is to be identified as the Great Tribulation that is to come upon the whole world as per Matthew 24:21, Revelation 3:7, and Revelation 7:14, is also to be identified in its entirety with the wrath of God. However, I do not believe that such an identification is justified. First, in Matthew 24:15, Jesus clearly indicates that the Great Tribulation is initiated by the appearance of the abomination of desolation in the Temple as spoken of in Daniel 9:27. According to Daniel, however, this will not happen at the beginning of the seventieth week, but rather in the middle. This indicates that the Great Tribulation spoken of by Jesus is to be located in the last half of the seventieth week. Second, in order to maintain that the entire seven year period is to be identified with the wrath of God, the pretribulationist must hold that all of the judgments described in Revelation are part of the wrath of God. However, this does not necessarily follow either. While in Revelation 6:16-17, after the sixth scroll judgment, the inhabitants of the earth claim that the wrath of God has come, it is not until Revelation 11:18, after the sounding of the seventh trumpet, that we see the wrath of God spoken of by inhabitants of heaven who are able to accurately identify it. Furthermore, the seven bowl judgments are referred to as the “bowls of the wrath of God.” No previous judgments are so identified with the wrath of God. Because of this, the midtribulationist, unlike the pretribulationist, sees no necessity for the removal of the church prior to the second half of the Tribulation, which is identified with the bowl judgments. A midtribulational view of the Rapture allows for a consistently literal interpretation of Revelation with regard to the wrath of God, while at the same time insisting upon the removal of the church from the earth prior to the manifestation of that wrath.

Third, a midtribulational view of the Rapture provides a plausible identification of the Rapture in the book of Revelation, and in so doing provides also a natural and consistent chronology and interpretive framework for Revelation that is simply lacking in both other systems. In a midtribulational view, the Rapture is to be located in Revelation 14:14-16 which says,

Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like a son of man, having a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand. And another angel came out of the temple, crying out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, "Put in your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe." Then He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped.

There are obvious similarities in this passage to Paul’s description of the Rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4. Here we see Jesus coming on the clouds and gathering a harvest to himself. We also hear a loud angelic shout, and the seventh trumpet has just been sounded. All of this seems to indicate that Revelation 14 fulfills 1 Thessalonians 4.

This vision quite likely alludes to Jesus’ parable of the wheat and the tares in Matthew 13. If this identification is correct, then it fits better with Paul’s description of the Rapture than any other passage in Revelation. Some have objected that the word translated “ripe” in verse 15 is normally translated “dried up” or “withered,” and for this reason have believed that this passage can speak only of judgment. It is quite true that the Greek word ἐξηράνθη is normally translated “dried up” or “withered.” However, when one is harvesting a grain crop like wheat, the grain is not ready to harvest until it is completely dry. Otherwise the moisture in the grain will cause it to mold and rot while being stored in the barn. (Today farmers use industrial driers to dry their crops before storage, allowing them to harvest earlier than farmers in the first century.) All this is to say that the use of ἐξηράνθη is fully consistent with identifying Revelation 14:14-16 as the fulfillment of 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.

If Revelation 14:14-16 is to be identified as the Rapture, there are several chronological considerations which make a midtribulational interpretation quite plausible. First, it occurs before the wrath of God is poured out upon the earth, thus exempting the church from experiencing the wrath of God; second, it occurs very close to the midpoint of Daniel’s seventieth week; third, it allows the seventh trumpet of Revelation to be identified with the last trumpet of 1 Corinthians 15; fourth, it allows the word “saints” in Revelation to be understood in its normal New Testament sense as the church; fifth, it allows for the church, the Bride of Christ, to be in Heaven prior to the marriage of the Lamb in Revelation 19, and sixth, it allows time for unbelievers to put faith in Christ after the Rapture, and thus enter into the Millennial kingdom in unresurrected bodies, which is necessary if there is to be death in the Millennial kingdom as foretold in Isaiah 65:20 and corroborated by the fact that death is not destroyed until after the postmillennial battle of Revelation 20.

Unfortunately, space will not permit the examination of each of these points. Therefore, the second point alone will be expounded upon since it is the most vital to the argument for a midtribulational rapture.

In Daniel 9:27, the seventieth week is initiated when “the prince who is to come” establishes a covenant with the Jewish nation. The midpoint of the seventieth week occurs when this prince sets up the abomination of desolation in the temple. According to Jesus in Matthew 24, this initiates the Great Tribulation. The prince of Daniel 9 is normally equated with the Beast who comes out of the sea in Revelation 13. The description of this beast in Revelation 13:1 is identical to the description of the beast who comes out of the abyss in Revelation 17:3 indicating that they are one and the same beast. This is the beast that kills the two witnesses of God in Revelation 11:7. These two witnesses prophesied for 1260 days, or 3.5 years. Likewise, only the outer court of the temple appears to be given to the nations for forty-two months, or 3.5 years in Revelation 11:2. It follows that the 3.5 years in which the witnesses prophesied, and the 3.5 years in which the nations were given only the outer court of the temple, are the same 3.5 years. These are evidently the first 3.5 years of the seventieth week, because the two witnesses are killed by the Beast at the end of this time, an event which marks the transition of authority from the witnesses to the Beast. The execution of the witnesses by the Beast, therefore, initiates the forty-two months of his authority, and therefore coincides with his erection of the abomination of desolation in the temple. These events are set chronologically after the blowing of the sixth trumpet and prior to the blowing of the seventh trumpet, which is blown immediately prior to the events of Revelation 14:14-16, thus placing the Rapture squarely in the middle of the seventieth week.

Objections

The first objection that I will deal with comes from the pretribulational camp. Based on the numerous biblical passages which exhort believers to watch and be alert because we do not know the day or the hour the of the return of Christ, (i.e. Matthew 24:36-39, 42-44, and 50; Matthew 25:13, Mark 13:32-37, Luke 12:40, 1 Thessalonians 5:2, and many others) pretribulationists hold to a signless, “any-moment” imminence of the Rapture. All signs, according to the pretribulational view, pertain to the Second Coming rather than the Rapture. This is a vital distinction for the pretribulational argument, because it allows a resolution of the tension between the above passages, and those which clearly refer to signs that must take place before Christ’s return. If we do, in fact, know when Christ will return, how is it that we also do not know? The Rapture, therefore, must be imminent, and devoid of signs indicating its approach, while the Second Coming is not imminent because it is preceded by signs.

In response to this objection, it must be noted that all of the biblical passages cited to support the imminence of the Rapture are immediately preceded by passages which the pretribulationist (and the midtribulationist for that matter) interprets as presenting the signs of the Second Coming. In context, then, the passages which teach imminence must also refer to the Second Coming. If then, the Scriptures teach the imminence of the Second Coming, while at the same time teaching that it will be preceded by signs, is it unlikely that the Rapture be preceded by signs and yet be imminent? No. There is certainly a tension here, but there is also a tension in that the scriptures teach both the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man. If Scripture teaches both, then we must hold to both in spite of the logical difficulties. Scripture affirms that the Second Coming is both imminent and preceded by signs. The Rapture can, therefore, also be seen as both imminent and preceded by signs.

One of the classic posttribulational arguments against both pretribulationism and midtribulationism is that there is no need for the church to be physically absent from the earth in order to be exempted from the wrath of God. The posttribulationist often points to the distinction made by God in Exodus when the plagues upon Egypt were not visited upon Israel. This, they claim, illustrates how God can exempt his people from his wrath while pouring it out on unbelievers. I do not believe that this is a valid illustration. First, nowhere in Exodus does God claim that He is pouring out His wrath on Egypt. This is in distinct contrast to the bowl judgments in Revelation which are always equated with the wrath of God. Second, the distinction between Israel and Egypt is clearly taught in Exodus, while no such distinction is made during the outpouring of God’s wrath in Revelation. Third, the bowl judgments are specifically contrasted with the trumpet judgments in that the former are said to affect all of their intended objects while the latter are said to affect only one-third of their intended objects. I can see how the church, being physically present, could be exempted from a plague which turns one-third of the water on earth to blood, but I cannot see how anyone could be exempted from a plague which turns all of the water on earth into blood. The nature of the bowl judgments are global and all-encompassing. The only way for the church to be exempted is for the church to be physically absent.

In conclusion, it must be stated that any interpretation of the relationship between the Rapture and the Tribulation is ultimately a matter of discerning scriptural plausibility as opposed to dogmatic certainty. What I have presented here is the view which I believe is the most plausible in that it best harmonizes all that scripture teaches regarding this issue. The Rapture is an issue which we must not allow to become divisive in our churches, and which should be used to encourage believers to suffer well, wait expectantly, and interpret the word of God faithfully, carefully, and in full dependence upon the illumination of the Holy Spirit.

REFERENCE LIST

Archer, Gleason L., Paul D. Feinberg, Douglas J. Moo, Richard R. Reiter. 1984. The rapture: pre-, mid-, or post-tribulational?. Grand Rapids: Academie Books.

Enns, Paul. 1989. The Moody handbook of theology. Chicago: Moody Press.

Erickson, Millard J. 1998. A basic guide to eschatology: making sense of the millennium. Grand Rapids: Baker Books.

Geisler, Norman L. 2005. Systematic theology. Vol. 4, Church, last things. Minneapolis: Bethany House.

Grudem, Wayne. 1994. Systematic theology. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Jones, R. Bradley, 1980. The great tribulation. Grand Rapids: Baker Books.

Ladd, George E. 1978. The last things: an eschatology for laymen. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers.

Lindsey, Hal. 1983. The rapture: truth or consequences. Toronto: Bantam Books.

MacArthur, John. 2007. Because the time is near. Chicago: Moody Publishers.

Pemberton, Owen Richard. 1993. The truth about the rapture of the church. Roswell, GA: Old Rugged Cross Press.

Rosenthal, Marvin. 1990. The Pre-wrath rapture of the church. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Ryrie, Charles C. 1981. What you should know about the rapture. Chicago: Moody Press.

Smith, Chuck. 1980. The tribulation and the church. Costa Mesa, CA: The Word for Today.

The New American Standard Bible (NAU). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995. <BibleWorks, v.8.>.

Walvoord, John F. 1979. The rapture question. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House.

Why we like Sports

2010-02-03T20:14:00.005-05:00

I greatly enjoy watching football. I especially enjoy college football, and my favorite team is the Iowa Hawkeyes. Of course now, being married to an Alabama fan, I will also root for the Crimson Tide. I also enjoy watching professional football, where my favorite teams are the Chargers and the Vikings. I began following each of these teams for different reasons. I like the Hawkeyes because I was born and raised in Iowa, and I can’t imagine being a fan of any other team in the same way that I am a fan of the Hawkeyes. I am an Alabama fan, as I said before, because I married an Alabama fan. I have liked the Chargers since I was about five, primarily because I thought the lightning bolts on their helmets were cool. I like the Vikings because I lived in Minnesota for a few years, and because my father is a Vikings fan.

People can begin to follow a certain sports team for any number of reasons. They may do so because of their location, because of an influential person who is already a fan, or for purely whimsical or random reasons. The question isn’t really why we begin to follow certain teams, the question is why do we continue, obsessively at times, to follow those teams.

The answer can really be summed up in a single word: narrative. Human beings crave narrative. If there is any doubt on this matter, I would point you to the vast sums of money generated by the Hollywood movie and TV industry. Thousands of narratives are generated literally every day, and still we can never seem to get enough of them.

We follow sports because we get caught up in the narrative. We need narrative. In football for example, every season, every game, every half, every quarter, every drive, and indeed every play embodies a miniature narrative complete with setting, characters, plot, climax and conclusion. There are three primary elements involved in the narrative of sports which form the foundation of our obsession with them: Story, Character, and Identity.

Story

I have often wondered why anyone would spend hundreds of dollars to attend a sporting event that they could watch in high definition at home. The reason is that watching the game from the comfort of home disconnects us from participation in the story of the game. As human beings, created in the image of God, there is a longing in all of us to be, to use the common idiom, a part of something greater than ourselves. This desire is God-given, and integral to humanity. I discovered this connection to sports in October 2009, when I was privileged to attend the Iowa – Michigan game in Iowa city with my dad and my brother. We yelled and cheered, and really became (very very small) characters in the larger story: the story of a couple of specific plays, the story of that particular game, the larger story of Hawkeyes’ season, and even the story of Hawkeye football in general. We can always say that we were there. We saw the game in person, and in our small way, we participated. As human beings we find significance and meaning in the context of participating in a larger narrative. Sports provide us with a convenient outlet for satisfying that need.

Character

If ever one needed evidence that human beings are drawn to great characters, one need look no further than the media’s fixation with Florida quarterback Tim Tebow. Tebow is one of the most celebrated players in the history of college football. This is not without good reason. His statistics are staggering. However, it is not for his statistics, or even for his Heisman Trophy, that Tim Tebow has been the subject of intense media scrutiny. It is for the fact that Tebow is a Christian who lives out his faith with consistency, humility, grace, and integrity both on and off the field. This has garnered for him praise from some and mockery from others. As you may well have guessed, I am a big fan of Tim Tebow, and am extremely grateful for his very public testimony to the saving grace of Jesus Christ. I grew up in the mid-west, and am not prone to root for Florida under any circumstances. I rooted for Nebraska when they played Florida for the national title in the 1996 Fiesta Bowl, and rejoiced at their defeat. Yet, in the past 4 years, I have found myself rooting for Florida simply because of Tebow! As human beings we are drawn to characters who exhibit excellence in what they do. We are so fascinated by such characters that we probe as deeply into their personal lives as we possibly can in an attempt to “know” them vicariously. Following the careers of sports figures lends itself to satisfying our innate desire for relationship with great character.

Identity

As much as people claim that they do not want to be labeled or pigeon-holed so to speak, there is a desire within every person to be identified with something or someone greater than themselves. Identity is a complex and important subject, and I intend to write more about it later. At this point, suffice it to say that sports fans readily and eagerly identify themselves with their respective teams. When William and I are out running errands, or just spending quality father/son time together, it is pretty easy to identify us as Iowa fans. It would be nearly impossible to mistake William, in his black and gold Iowa hat, coat, jersey, T-shirt, and pants for anything other than a Hawkeye fan. If that doesn’t give it away, my bright gold Iowa cap, which I’m pretty sure can be seen from the moon, should! Sports fans wear the colors, fly the flags, and adorn their cars, houses, and even trees with visible indicators of their identity as sports fans. When my dad went on vacation – to Florida no less – he was able to have conversations with people he had never met before because he was wearing his Iowa Hawkeyes hat. He identified himself as a Hawkeye fan, and others who shared that identity were quick to engage him in conversation. I think we may be the only Iowa fans in Louisville, and we get some weird looks when we go shopping across the river in Indiana. Why? We have identified with Iowa, and that identity makes those who identify themselves with Indiana uncomfortable. Identity is a fundamental need of human beings, and sports provide us with a ready-made way to fulfill that need.

And your point is…?

I am not trying to attack or defend the morality of following sports. Certainly, following sports could become form of idolatry, though this need not necessarily be so. That is a discussion for another day.

What I want to demonstrate is the universality of the human drive to fill life with meaning, significance, purpose, joy, pleasure, and a host of other things through participation in narrative. Sports are only one example of this. Certainly there are other examples, but the popularity of sports is, at least to my mind, compelling evidence that there is in fact a human need for narrative.

The universality of the human need for narrative is a powerful argument for the existence of the God of the Bible, and for humanity made in His image. Darwinian evolution tells us that we are the product of random chance and time. (Which is a narrative all its own by the way.) However, narratives are ever only the product of intelligence. Even if one were to claim that there is no intelligent being directly governing sporting events, the reality of narrative in sports remains undeniable. In that case the narrative would purely be the invention of the human mind. This begs the question of why the human mind is so determined to string together purely random events in such a way as to impose order on them.

In a world produced solely by random chance and time, the tendency to see the world in terms of order and narrative could never be beneficial to the survival of a species. Narrative, which demands the existence of order and predictability in reality, could provide no advantage to a species in a purely random world because it would be contradictory to the nature of reality. Any species which seeks to operate in a way that is contradictory to the nature of reality is doomed to destruction. An inherent belief in order in a world of pure chaos would quickly result in disillusionment, confusion, and death. The only way to adequately explain the human need for narrative is to acknowledge that there is a supernatural Narrator who has created human beings in an orderly universe with a need for narrative that only He can fill.

Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration, the four primary components of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, provide humanity with an overarching Narrative which both adequately explains the nature of reality and satisfies the deepest longings of the human soul. The Gospel of Jesus Christ provides humanity with a story in which to truly participate, a Great Character who is the fulfillment of all of our longings for relationship with one greater than ourselves, and it provides us with the opportunity to forge our identity in the eternal Kingdom of God. Our love for sports reveals our deep need for a Narrative larger than sports, a Narrative only God can write. When you boil it all down, we like sports because we need Christ.

Bound to the Gospel

2010-01-29T12:42:00.003-05:00

I have decided to call my blog “Bound to the Gospel,” and some explanation of the name is in order. I get the concept of being bound to the Gospel from Hebrews 2:1 which says: Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it (Heb 2:1 ESV). In the original Greek, this verse reads: Διὰ τοῦτο δεῖ περισσοτέρως προσέχειν ἡμᾶς τοῖς ἀκουσθεῖσιν, μήποτε παραρυῶμεν (Heb 2:1 GNT). The primary word of interest, with regard to the name of my blog, is προσέχειν. This word is rather flexible in its usages, and can be used to express such concepts as beware, watch out, draw near, be addicted to, be devoted to, cling to, pay attention to, devote the mind to, and more. As I look at this passage, I see this word juxtaposed against παραρυῶμεν, which means to drift away. According to Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, προσέχειν can mean to bring a ship to land. While this is certainly not the correct translation here, it would seem that, when juxtaposed against the concept of drifting away, this concept is in some way necessary to our understanding of the passage.

This is why I would translate Hebrews 2:1 as follows: “For this reason it is necessary to bind ourselves all the more to the things we have heard so that we do not drift away.” (For those of you who know enough about Greek to recognize that I have not translated the accusative pronoun as the subject of the infinitive, please refer to A.T. Robertson’s treatment of the accusative used with the infinitive on pages 489-491 of his grammar.) This verse would have painted a picture in the mind of the original readers of someone binding a ship to the dock so that it does not drift out to sea. In the same way, as Christians, we ought to bind ourselves to “what we have heard.” The context of Hebrews 2 clearly indicates that “the things we have heard” refers to the good news of the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, in other words, the Gospel. This binding of oneself to the Gospel of Jesus Christ involves clinging tenaciously to the historical facts of the life of Jesus Christ, and most specifically to the historical fact of His resurrection. If we fail to cling to these basic facts, if we fail to believe that these things are true, we will drift away into the sea of apostasy and heresy. As Christians we must view the world through the lens of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I am not sure exactly what I will write about in this blog, but I am determined, by the power and grace of God, to cling to the truth of the Word of God in all that will be written here. My prayer for this blog and for my life is that I will always be Bound to the Gospel.